See You Later, Alligator! After Awhile, Crocodile!

My Granny Pat turned 91 last weekend!  Wow!  I am thankful for her life and the many ways she has served her family and others over her lifetime.  She was a mother and a nurse and worked late, long hours to meet the needs of her children and her patients.  If I had to guess, I would say her primary way of showing love is performing acts of service.  Of course, at 91 that gets a bit more difficult but I still see it happening.  She lives in a adorable little barn house behind my parents.  This past year while we have been in Gatesville, she has been loving me with encouragement.  Each time I see her, she reminds me that she is proud of me and my little family.  I see love shining from her eyes when she looks at me, my husband or my boys. 

We celebrated her birthday this past weekend with a family gathering at Hay Valley Baptist Church.  This is the little country church that my mom grew up in…although the outhouses are gone, it still has an outdoor tabernacle!  It also now boasts a really fun playground and large kitchen/gathering area, making it an ideal place for a large family get together. 

We had a birthday/thanksgiving/going away party which equaled lots of delicious food, homemade from scratch cakes baked by my Uncle Doug, and lots of family! 

I am thankful for a large family of faith that will rally around us and cover us in prayer and encouragement.  I am also thankful that when my family prays, I know that voices and hearts of all ages (toddlers, children, teens, adults, elderly) will be joining in.  What a sweet legacy my Grandmothers carry.

Here is an overview:

Homeschool Girl

Josiah on 1st day of Kindergarten

I'm pretty sure that all my older siblings remember being homeschooled. As the baby in the family, I would never have known that homeschooling was part of our lives other than seeing pictures of me as a toddler holding a United States flag and hearing stories of our homeschool days. By the time my school days began, my mom was working as a public school teacher and off to school I went, too! I know there are numerous advantages and disadvantages to either schooling option but as a child I had a very positive public school experience. I always assumed my children would be schooled the same way.

Cue the backpacks, lunch boxes, school picture day, field trips, summer break and field day!

Well...I've been learning a new equation lately: Haiti = Homeschool

Six weeks ago, I became a homeschool girl. Sort of. Josiah started his first day of homeschool kindergarten the first monday in September (no labor day for us)! In the midst of prepping for Haiti we got our school year started with the understanding that there will be a break once we actually move and take some time in Haiti to get settled and figure out life.

After the first week, I was pretty sure that I would never shower again. Being a mommy of 3 and pregnant with a 4th is one thing...being an intentional homeschool momma was a whole new ball game. I am happy to report that we are getting in a groove and I do get to shower with some regularity. (Key word: SOME) :)

Josiah is a great student! He is usually attentive, asks great questions and enjoys learning. I am thankful to have a child and student that wants to learn. Our biggest stuggle so far has been dealing with his disappointment. He has been so pumped about Kindergarten and all the new things he was looking forward to learning that he was bummed the 1st week to learn that we wouldn't be learning it all at once. There are worse problems out there! I am thankful.

We are using Sonlight Curriculum (www.Sonlight.com) and really enjoy it! It is a bit pricey but we used it last year with Josiah's preschool and I think it is well worth the investment. Pretty much everything is laid out for me so there is minimal prep time for the basics, which means I get to spend my time coming up with creative extras that will be educational and fun for the boys. The materials they have picked are excellent, too! I enjoy it and am learning just as much as the boys.

Our prayer is that if we ever want our boys to be in either public or private school someday, then they will be able to jump right in with their peers and be right on course. This has always weighed heavy on me as I anticipated schooling the boys overseas. Will I be able to teach them well? How will I manage life in Haiti with 4 little ones under 5 years AND homeschool well?? Now that I am in the midst of homeschooling, I feel peace from God that he is with us in every part of this journey, even in our schooling. We are not in Haiti yet as we had hoped BUT I am thankful that God has given me time to get some homeschooling experience under my belt prior to having to learn an entire new way of life in addition. His timing is perfect and I am learning to trust it.



30 Life Lessons

It finally happened. I grew up.

Yep, I turned 30 on April 1st...I guess at some point I should start feeling like a grown woman who is a wife and mother of 3 boys...BUT I still feel like I should be 18. Not that I want to be 18...oh, no! I just can't believe how quickly 30 years has gone by. Amazing...

I remember being a young girl and feeling like it took FOREVER just waiting for evening to come so I could spend the night with my bff who lived down the street. I guess all those silly boys who wrote in my Jr. High yearbook were right after all, "life is like a roll of toilet paper"...the older you get the faster it goes!

Here are 30 things I've been learning the last 30 years of my life:

1) I never stop learning and it's not always new things! I keep re-learning many of the same things over and over and over again...just on a deeper level with greater revelation.

2) If you can be patient potty-training a toddler, you can be patient during ANYTHING!

3) I was made to be in community and need to ask for help more often.

4) People can't read my mind. (shocking, right?)

5) I can't read other peoples minds. (even more shocking!)

6) The things I am TOO tired to do are probably the things that will energize me the most.

7) The things I have judged, I will serve. (stole this from Pastor Jimmy...but i am FEELIN' it! and am thankful for the stretching, humbling growth).

8) I don't have to completely understand or relate to someone to be able to love and serve them well. This frees me up to be myself and not feel pressure to try be like everyone else.

9) I need a Savior more than I know.

10) Thankfulness paves the way for the Holy Spirit to come and break my spiral into a bad, grumpy, self-focused day.

11) I have to rely on God...trying harder doesn't cut it and makes me tired.

12) I can hear God's voice!! =)

13) I shouldn't always do for my boys the things they can do themselves (even if I think I can do it faster and better).

14) I don't have to be doing something "spiritual" to experience God's presense.
15) Sometimes, there's nothin' to it but to do it! I've got to dig down and just do the things I hate or don't want to do and one small step after another and suddenly I'm done!

16) It is easy to be nasty to others...to come up with something sassy or down-right evil to say. It takes deep character and self-control to chose my words and live out of a place of love.

17) My default to sarcasm is sometimes funny. But usually not. (sorry to those of you who I've been learning this on over the years.)

18) I have an ever increasing capacity! Things I thought would have been impossible are now totally doable! God is always growing me...sometimes in small bits that go unnoticed and sometimes in big stretches that are quite painful. I'm looking back with thankfulness that I have greater capacity in knowledge, understanding and energy because of those times of expansion.

19) My husband needs my respect, more than he needs my love.

20) Choose Joy. I mean REAL joy...not fleeting pleasures that this world offers up.

21) This world is not my home. I shouldn't feel or get TOO comfortable. Ofcourse, I SHOULD seem a bit out of place to others because I AM out of place.

22) Lots of small "yeses" can turn into a really big "YES!"

23) Caring for others is annoying when all I care about is myself. When I take my eyes off myself, then suddenly taking care of others becomes an awesome privledge, an amazing responsibility and an overwhelming joy.

24) Peace can be enjoyed anytime and anywhere as a direct result of being in fellowship with the Spirit. I don't always have to have the perfect setup to find peace.

25) Thinking ahead keeps me out of trouble. Not thinking ahead leads to lots of "doh!" moments.

26) The more my family acquires, the less thankful we become.

27) I need less stuff than I think I do.

28) Assume the best of others but don't presume that others should do the same for me. I want to live in such a way that it is easy for others to think the best of me because of my past actions.

29) I don't remember as much as I think I will. I really do need to jot important things down. Mom, I guess you were right about writing after all!

30) Strenght is made perfect in weakness. Thanks for all the paradoxes, God. I love how you like to spice things up!

Resurrection Rolls

I want to be a mom who lets my boys explore, learn and do things themselves...it doesn't come natural to me. I am having to be intentional to bring them into things instead of always doing everything myself. Does this cause more messes for me to clean up? You betcha! But I am daily learning to relax and just enjoy and I see the boys thrive when that happens. They are boys, BUT they love to be creative and do crafts, make art, and cook with me.
We made resurrection rolls at Easter last year, too, but this year I let the boys do most of the "baking". They did a great job despite uncontrollable finger licking!

The "Jesus" marshmellow annointed in oils and spices (aka butter, cinammon and sugar) then wrapped in linen (cresent rolls) and put in the oven tomb. After 10 minutes(3 days) the Jesus marshmellow is risen and only the linen is left!

Enjoying the fruits of their labor.

That is a BUNCH of Bull.

Jody has been in Haiti this past week so the boys and I have been having a fun week! Laid back...without mommy trying to get much done. After dropping Jody off at DFW Airport we drove to the CentrePoint train station and rode the train to the Dallas Zoo. We've had a pizza movie nite, play time at the park, backyard swimming, ice cream sandwiches and a slumber party under a tent in the living room. We capped it off with a trip to Topsey Exotic Ranch as a way for my parents to celebrate my 30th birthday. We had SO MUCH FUN! I loved that ranch! I have driven by the sign numerous times throughout my life but always figured it was some run down ranch with a few antelope. It was actually beautiful! The scenery is beautiful and the animals so much fun! The boys loved it, too! Although they were sometimes frightened from the animals sticking their heads in the windows! (This could have been caused from me shrieking occassionally...especially when the emus came around. I think they are creapy with those little beady eyes.)

I thought the most exciting part was the giant bull we saw near the end of the ranch. He was so giant and his horns massive. It looked painful. This MUST be where they get the phrase, "a bull in a china cabinet", because this guy had NO idea the damage he kept nearly causing just because he would swing his head around to swat flys! My car was rammed a few times by this massive horned beast and we were worried the was going to crack a window! He was a thrill to be near...although when he got his head in the window his teeth were yuck...that was a little TOO near!

A thrill that illicited lots of laughter and screams of delight.

Other favorites included the adorable baby goats in the petting zoo that sucked Josiah's thumb, the zebras that chased desperately after the car as we drove off (hee-hawing all the way), the suprising nimble giant tortoise (Lucas' favorite) and the giant water buffalos that could swim so gracefully and would disappear under the water with only the hump on their backs showing. I did not know they would go under the water for SO long.

Fun! Much more so than the Dallas Zoo and much cheaper! =)

Here are some pics from our day at the Ranch:

3 Amazing Years of Lucas

We celebrated 3 amazing years of Lucas a couple weeks ago. He is a true silly little nut. Someone who laughs just so he can hear himself laugh. He still sucks his thumb, calls Mr. Monkey his best friend and kisses him good-bye when he has to leave monkey behind in the car. He is a dear and I could just squish him to pieces I love him so much! =)

Lucas asked to have a tree party (huh?) but we settled on a rocket-ship theme instead. I worked a 12 hour night shift just before the party...drove home...decorated the cake and prepared snacks...slept for about an hour then woke up to start getting ready for the party at a park in Waco. Needless to say, I was beat, but we have amazingly wonderful, grace-filled friends and family who didn't seem to mind too much that my brain was foggy and forgot a few essentials for the party such as forks for the cake! =)

We played on the playground, ate star sandwiches, rainbow fruit, spaceship cake, busted a star pinata and ran around with the homemade rocket pack party favors (the boys were much more interested than the girls!)

It was the first "friend" party for Lucas...a bit windy and little crazy due to mommy's sleepiness but still fun and Lucas had a blast--which is what really matters most, right? Happy Birthday, sweet boy. You are worth all the effort and more.

Having a Ball!

JohnEllis turned 1 in January. We had a small party with our family at McDonalds in Hillsboro (central location!) and we had a ball. Literally! JohnEllis is crazy about any type of ball and loves to repeat "baw, baw, baw, baw!" over and over! This obsession has been easing off some the past month and we get to hear some of his other precious first words {mama, dada, bubba, bellbell (ClaraBelle, our dog), bye-bye (says this anytime he sees my keys or thinks we are going outside to play).}

I felt it was only fitting to celebrate his love of all balls with a ball theme party. Here are a few pics of the cake and cupcakes I made for him. Thanks Granny Jo for the use of your oven.

1st Birthdays are always special as the babies are growing up and entering a new stage of life...so much learning and discovery has happened and there is so much ahead. I love this stage because they start taking off in understanding and communication. Say a quick prayer that my patience and energy would remain high though because JohnEllis (like most new toddlers!) is super curious and into everything. I can't let him out of my sight for a second which makes it difficult to get anything done such as homeschool with the big boys or normal life requirements.

Going Crunchy...er.

Okay, so I have always loved natural childbirth, breastfeeding, and am not a big fan of using medications at the first sign of sickness (ironic, since I'm in the healthcare field). This has earned me a little bit of "granola" status at the hospital...but it has gotten worse.

I've gotten crunchier. oh, dear.

I'll blame it on Haiti. Since we are planning on moving there soon and I still have one potty training, one in diapers full-time (for atleast another year) and hope to have another baby, I figured I needed to develop a plan for diapering all these stinky bums.

There problem with Haiti and disposable diapers is that getting them is hit or miss and probably pretty costly due to most things being imported. BUT, my biggest beef is that there is not really anywhere to dispose of all these "disposable" diapers. Most trash in Haiti is burned. Ever try to burn a diaper? They are basicaly indestructable. All of our kiddos poop is being wrapped up in tiny time capsules for generations and generations to come because they do not break down in the landfills (it takes an estimated 500 years). Anyways, I can't imagine contributing to the growing trash problem in Haiti with hundreds of indestructable diapers.

Enter: The dreaded cloth diaper.

Now, it is not like I have never considered these before. I have. For about 30 seconds. I think the modern cloth diapers are adorable...until someone poops in them.

But I began my experiment with cloth diapering anyways as a way that I could save $ and bless Haiti at the same time. AND I LOVE IT!! That is ridiculous but true. Everytime I change a diaper I get this satisfaction that I am saving $ and decreasing my mark on the landfill. And I love washing the diapers, too. Weird. Crunchy. It is okay...call names. I think the same thing of myself. =)

An estimated 27.4 billion disposable diapers are used each year in the US, resulting in a possible 3.4 million tons of used diapers adding to landfills each year (source: Wikipedia)

I am no longer adding to those numbers. I like that.

But it is not as big a deal as I thought it would be. Here is my process:

Adorable child poops his pants. Yucky diaper off. Use cloth wipes and homemade wipe soluton in sprayer (water & baby shampoo) to clean yucky bum. Clean diaper on. Adorable child goes to play while I dump poop in the toilet and scrub if necessary. I use these purple cleaning gloves to keep my hands yuck free then put the wet diaper in the diaper pail or diaper wet bag. Oh, and I actually change diapers now in the combo laundry/bathroom. The top of the dryer is my changing table! =)

Once the wet bag and pail are full then I wash (about every 3 days). I use a homemade laundry detergent for my diapers as seen the picture. 1 small scoop, then add the diapers (which are already poop free due to the 30 seconds of work at the toilet), then wash on hot.

Once they are washed and rinsed, I hang them out to dry. This is my favorite part! They are adorable hanging on the line and I get satisfaction from hanging clothes. I have always wanted to be Caroline Ingalls anyways. They dry really fast and the sun kills bacteria and takes care of any staining issues.

It really is pretty simple and hasn't been as big an issue as I always thought it would be. Ofcourse, in Haiti I will not be using a washing machine.

My one cloth diaper regret?? Not starting sooner. I would recommend it for any current or new parents. We have spent approx. $150 on our diaper stash. This will be more than enough for the rest of our diapering needs for all our our children. We drop that much on disposables EASY with 2 kiddos in diapers at one time. I really do wish we had been cloth diapering from the beginning because the savings only multiply the more children you are able to use your diapers for.

Live and Learn.

My Life: The Funny Pages

Simple. Plain Jane. The Everyday.

Life...It's hilarious if I let myself look up from the spinning wheel of routine and schedules.

Here are some recent things that have made me laugh:

~While cutting Josiah's hair, I turned to see Lucas with my water sprayer...soaking the front windows of my parents house and furiously wiping his grimely little hands on the panes of glass...making more mud than shine and then repeating this process for over an hour. Seriously. That long. When he ran out of water he then managed to refill from the cat bowl.

~JohnEllis and his obsession with the word ball and anything round. He literally says "ball" 100's of times/day...and always with a ? at the end, as if to say, "can I have that??". He was sick a couple weeks back. Respiratory problems. Cough. Congestion. Retractions. Wheezing. Crying uncontrollably. A visit to the ER in the middle of the night and inconsolable screaming...until he saw the top of a bulb syringe and suddenly after 3+ hours of nonstop screaming, instantly stops and says, "ball?".

~After a long 12 hour night shift: turning down all the lights and the entire night shift hiding as the day shift arrived with lots of questioning looks on their faces.

~Having my husband give me a 10 minute discourse on the numerous different pens he carries with him in his pencil box...how each of them has a different function and purpose such as: I use this blue pen to write in my journal, but this blue pen to take notes with in class and this particular pen to underline scripture in my Bible, but this pen is only for when I'm at work, etc. One would think that a pen, is a pen, is a pen. Until you meet Jody Cash. Then you realize that every pen has a story and not all pens are created equal. And that pens are serious business.

~My husband has and uses a pencil box. =)

~Josiah drew a picture of JohnEllis the other day at church. They were supposed to be drawing a picture of things they do at home. Since JohnEllis has been sick, Josiah said that we have been trying to get JohnEllis better soon, so he drew his stick figure...Complete with knee caps and a penis. I nearly lost it as we discussed with him how drawing a penis at church is inappropriate.

So there you have it.

My everyday is filled with humor. Somedays I have to hunt for it more than others but finding joy in the little things is the spice of life.

Dreaming with God

"Encounters with God as an intimate are quite different from those of a servant.  His heartbeat becomes our heartbeat as we celebrate the shift in our own desires. The realm of His presence becomes our greatest inheritance, and divine encounters are greatest memories."
~Bill Johnson, Dreaming with God

This past week began our new schedule for the next several months.  It has been great to finally get to this point, as we have been anticipating this all summer.  We are excited but already feel that our schedule will not be doable except by the grace of God...which we have experienced over and over again SO I am trusting Him to sustain us.

On Tuesday morning, we came into Waco early to sign Josiah up for Muttin' Bustin' (an event in the rodeo where little ones ride sheep! Adorable and hilarious!).  Josiah has been looking foward to this for sometime and was so excited to finally be old enough to sign up to be in the rodeo just like all those cowboys he admires! 

WELL....signups started at 8am with a limited number or entrants...the little boys and I stood in line for sometime...and missed the cut off by one person.

It was so sweet and sad explaining to little 4 year old Josiah why he wasn't able to be ride in the rodeo after all.  He was disappointed, for sure.  But took it in stride.  Once I dropped them off at their mother's day out program, I started crying!  Just knowing that this was his one chance since next year we will be gone.  I was so sad for him...and me, too!  I started thinking about all the "normal" things that I expected to see Josiah do as a boy...little league, 1st day of Kindergarden...Mutton Bustin'.  I knew it was silly but I grieved the things our boys will not experience because we are moving to Haiti.

Tonight, while sitting on the front porch with my current read, plus amazing weather and a beautiful sunset,  God brought me to this quote by Bill Johnson...about the realm of God's presence being our greatest inheritance and Divine encounters our greatest memories...It grabbed my heart.  And I rested.

Thank you, God!  The boys and I may not have all the expected memories and experiences of an American mom with 3 boys but wherever we are (America, Haiti, or elsewhere),we WILL experience God's presence and His divine encounters.  It will be our greatest treasure...our most prized possessions...cherished memories of being friends with God and not merely servants.  Of not just obeying God but living our life on earth with Him...experiencing Him and his adventues.

John Ellis Cash. 1 Month Old...already!

January 20, 2011 @ 1:19 a.m. John Ellis Cash joined our family and we grew to become a true "party of five". During this pregnancy, numerous people (some we know and many strangers, too!) have asked to pray for me and the baby...everyone was praying the same prayer--that this baby would, like John the Baptist, be filled with the Holy Spirit even in the womb. So many times we heard this prayed that we decided to incorporate 'John' into his name. Ellis came from Josiah! We don't know where he came up with Ellis since we don't know anyone by this name but we liked it and like that it means "my God is the Lord". We are calling him by both names but Lucas seems to always just say Ellis...and it may just stick. We shall see as the months go by.

Labor with John Ellis was so different than the other boys...we had gone to LifeGroup, come home and put the boys to bed and were getting settled down for the night as well. I guess I wasn't prepared for my water to break prior to labor starting since that has never happened before...in fact, Lucas was actually born with his waterbag intact! Contractions started maybe 30 minutes later and were fairly strong from the beginning. My parents came from Gatesville to stay at the house with the sleeping boys so Jody & I headed to the hospital much sooner than we ever have before (I was 8 cm when we got there). I have never labored at the hospital with the others...we just got there in time to push and have a baby...but laboring there a couple hours wasn't too bad after all (thanks to our midwife C. Miller who let me move and do basically whatever I wanted). Once I finally felt the urge to push he came quickly with the labor lasting about 4 hours total. I was SO thankful to have him in my arms and super thankful for Jody--he is always an awesome labor coach.

One of my favorite things about natural childbirth is that I get to experience how just speaking the name of Jesus can bring peace to my body, mind and spirit.

Oh, and thanks to all our family & friends who have come by, brought diapers, meals, groceries, prayed and offered help as we transitioned to having 3 kids. You all are blessings!!

Autumn...

Autumn weather was back today in Waco and I am very thankful...yesterday I sweated it out but refused to turn the a/c back on...it was so muggy and hot that today's cool breezes were more than welcome...

This is my favorite time of year. The crisp autumn air that sneaks in on summer always refreshes me and puts a bounce back in my step...plus, I really enjoy decorating for the fall season. Jody has been making Josiah come up to me several times everyday asking, "can we decorate a Christmas tree??" (um...a little early!) I love Christmas decor too, but this year I want autumn to linger a little longer.

The mums that I planted last year came back so well...I bought them with expectation of them being annuals and am thankful to get another season out of them.

I spent the afternoon in the front yard with the boys waiting for Jody to get home from work. We spent most of our time playing "LifeGroup" on Josiah's direction. I am so thankful that I am able to stay at home with my boys and see them grow up. I have been amazed at how quickly they are growing up...everyday I see Josiah's imagination exploding. He is so much fun and Lucas just wants to be near him all the time. I can already see Lucas being that little brother who follows big brother around...ofcourse, Josiah loves it and I pray that continues throughout their childhood. Something about today...sitting on the front steps watching the boys play together--I just felt special and thankful to be their mom. They are my favorite little blessings (Jody is my favorite big blessing!). =)