God is Faithful...always!

It's been a few busy weeks in this household lately. And I see a few more busy weeks on the horizon. Jaden starts the 1st grade soon!! So we get to head out for a little bit of school shopping today, just me and him, I told him it's a date! I also get to do a little school shopping myself as I start the same day Jaden does!

Ken started this week and is already getting a little fired up about one of his teachers!! But I am excited for him to learn and grow and work toward his dreams of school too!

Yesterday I had my surgery done to remove a pesky kidney stone that would not go away!! It went well and hopefully in a few days I'll be back to normal. I will have a follow up in a few weeks and then we will decide what to do with my other big stones in my kidney that can't pass on their own! Lots of prayer for healing would be great! The less surgery I have to have the better!!!

Eli will be starting side by side preschool this year, and he is VERY excited to go!! I am too! I am praying that even though we will be busy again with everything in life, that we are going to sit back and enjoy the whole process, together as a family, with God leading the way!!

God has been SO faithful to us and I know He will continue to be, if we are seeking Him and His desires for us:)

I hope everyone has a splendoures weekend!

The Last 4 Years....

have been full of fun, excitement, wonder, challenges, changes, prayers, hope, fear, encouragement, work, giving, taking, hopelessness at times, God, blessings, arguments, talking, dreaming, soul searching, loving, wishing, praying, serving, selfishness and selflessness, growing, children rearing, dates, family vacations, celebrations, good, bad, and ugly, beauty, peace, humility, strife, and many many blessings, and much much love.......and most importantly they have been full of.....US!

Happy Anniversary Ken!!!! I am so honored that I have been blessed and chosen to spend these last 4 years with YOU!! The ups the downs and the in betweens!! I love you:)

*this is in fact a few days late. We celebrated our big day on the 20th!! And this past weekend we were able to get out for a nice romantic date down in Minneapolis. A stroll through the big city and a very nice dinner at The Melting Pot. It was PERFECT....

A LONG few weeks!

Well I am in the middle of what will be "a LONG few weeks!". You see my darling hubs is out of town working ALL week long for 3 weeks! YIKES!! He is home for the weekends so we at least get to see him for a few days:) You know that old saying or song!, "You don't know what you got, till it's gone" Man oh man have I been feeling like that! I do know what a great guy he is, but sometimes in the everyday scheme of things, you tend to take people and the things they do for granted. I miss him a ton and the boys miss him a ton!! I am looking forward to these "LONG few weeks!" to be done.

Our anniversary is coming up next week, and since he will be out of town for the BIG day, we are going to try and go out this weekend to.........The Melting Pot!!! YAY!! I am so excited for a little romantic dinner and date with my dearly beloved:) Still working out a few babysitter kinks, so if you feel so inclined.....pray for that for us!:)

I feel like I have SOOO many things to blog about, but I have been awake for WAY more than 24 hours and I am feeling a little sleepy typing this! Well....a LOT sleepy actually! Have an amazing night and wonderfully blessed day!!

Wild Olive Tees

You have to go check out Wild Olive Tees. I have their Unfolding shirt and LOVE it!! They are coming out with a new Wild Olive kids tee line just in time for school. I know for sure I will be getting a CHOSEN shirt for Jaden and Elijah:) They also donate a portion fo the procedes to charity!

So what are you waiting for???? Go check them out already!

Goodbye.....

Today was the day we had to say goodbye to my dear friend Amanda. Doug and Amanda and their daughter Sally are moving to Washington DC for school. Doug is going to law school and Amanda is a nurse and will be working out there while he is in school full time. They are preparing to be missionaries and are hopeful to work for IJM when Doug is done with school.
I am beyond excited for them and this journey the Lord has lead them down. I am however very sad that my best friend will no longer be just a mile down the road. I love her so much and she has been SOOO important to me and my family. My boys absolutely ADORE her!!! She is in fact Jaden's God Mother and has always taken that role very seriously. He told me today that he is gonna really miss her when she is gone.

She stopped over today before they leave town so she could say one last goodbye to the boys. They hugged and kissed and the boys each gave her a letter they made. Through the tears I was able to get a few pics of them.



Oh how I am going to miss her........

Girls Day Out

Today I headed down to the Big City with my friends Sara and Amanda. It was our last ALL girls day out before Amanda moves to D.C. this week:(

So we started out with a mani/pedi to relax us and get us feeling girly. We walked around downtown for a little bit and people watched and checked out the farmers market a bit too. Then we headed over to The Melting Pot for lunch. It was AMAZING!! I loved it!! We ate so much and spent a ton of money. It was SO worth it though.

After eating so much food we decided to walk around town a little more and ended up at the M.A.C counter at Macy's. So while we were there we got our makeup done and bought a little product to help beautify us more:)

Then we headed on home, after getting a little lost trying to find our car!! It was a fun day to just hang out and be with each other. I am gonna miss Amanda a TON!

I have no pics since I forgot my camera but hopefully Sara will put some up from her iphone and then I can link them.

KEEP PRAYING PEOPLE

UPDATED: KEEP THE PRAYERS COMING PEOPLESTELLAN IS NOT DOING WELLCLICK ON THE BUTTON TO BE DIRECTED TO MCKMAMA'S BLOGSO YOU CAN READ THE MOST RECENT UPDATES AND TWITTERSSTORM THE GATES OF HEAVEN WITH YOUR PRAYERS FOR THIS LITTLE GUYHE IS SO SWEET AND PRECIOUSAND HIS MAMA IS TOO PRAY FOR HEALING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



This little guys needs your prayers again. He is headed into the hospital now to try some experimental drug treatments to try to help keep his SVT under control. Here is MckMamas most recent post about the situation. Lots of prayer needed people!!!!!

Isn't He Sweet....

Me: Eli it's time for you to get in the bath.
E: No mommy. I take shower not bath!
Me: OK that's fine, lets get you in the shower then.
E: Mommy....you take a shower too? You take one with me?
Me: No Eli not today. Mommy doesn't need to take a shower right now.
E: Um yeah!! You take shower mommy. YOU STINKY!!!

Nice.

As Good As It Gets...

I was just on the computer checking my email before I have to take Jaden to VBS and what do I hear coming from the living room....?????

My boys sitting on the recliner, NOT fighting, NOT arguing, NOT screaming.....nope non of those.....just READING the BIBLE! <3

Jaden is reading Eli his new Bible he got from VBS yesterday. Now Jaden doesn't really READ, so he was just telling Eli stories from memory and it was the sweetest noise a mommy could hear.....oh melt my heart......

What an awesome way to start my day!!!

*and now just in the time it took me to type this....my boys are shooting each other with their toy guns....go figure! I LOVE boys:)

Yikes!

Boy oh boy do I have a LOT to catch everyone up on. That's what happens when you wait 4+ weeks to write a post!!! Yikes! As usual, summer gets the best of me and I find little time for computer activities as my children are ALWAYS chomping at the bit to get OUTSIDE!



Anyways....the most exciting news I have to share would obviously be the MCK BRUNCH this past Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had planned on going to the Mck Picnic as well, but we had a family get together come up with my grandparents from out of state, so we were unable to hit the beach with everyone. And at the last minute my friend Sara suggested we find out if by chance there would be 2 available seats open at the brunch. Well wouldn't you know it, there were!!!



And here is one of many Adventures of Domestically Challenged and CarlsonClan......



So we headed down early Sunday morning for what would be an hour and a half trip. Now, if you know my friend Sara, then you KNOW that nothing with her goes as planned! So as we are on 494 her BRAND SPANKIN NEW iphone decides to FREEZE!!!! Seriously!!! What's the big deal you ask????? DIRECTIONS are the big deal! Sara is SO tech savvy that her step by step directions are OBVIOUSLY on her iphone!!! So here we are, country girls driving near the cities, with NO STINKIN CLUE where we are supposed to go! AHHHHHH.



Being a MORE type A than Sara, I had read through the directions at least once if not twice already before we went on our mini road trip. But about the ONLY thing I could remember was something about a CR 30 and a CR 5, like that was going to help us! Sara of course remembered the exact address to our destination, but nothing else......So the two of us were basically a big frickin MESS!!!!



So what do a couple of ladies do in a situation like that??? The smart thing of course....we stopped at a gas station for directions since we had no MEN with us:) So after TWO different gas stations, each with their perks and faults, we FINALLY made it to Waconia....(insert HUGE sigh of relief). Now, mind you, our hour and a half trip quickly turned into a 2 hour voyage:)



Needless to say, we were a bit late, aka Fashionably Late:) Except we weren't that fashionable either, well I guess Sara was sporting some really sweet heels to go along with her silver dollar blisters.... Anyways, as we pull into the parking lot Sara spots something very red and shinny.....(insert 2 silly teenage girl screams). It was Mckmama's truck!!! We have seen pictures before, but never had we seen her vehicle IRL!!!! So we KNEW this was the real deal, MckMama would surely be there.....



About this time we both thought, "What on earth are we doing???? Our husbands think we are NUTS! Are we NUTS???? Or are we just blog stalkers??? Or is it normal to be so nervous to meet someone IRL from the blogging world?? I mean it's not like MckMama is a movie star or something right?....or is she???? Will she even know who we are??" and so on and so on.......



Finally we got up enough nerve to walk into the restaurant. We immediately spotted MckMama (looking dashing in bright purple-she is one of those ladies that can pull off ANY color crayon color), but of course she was busy conversing with SO many women. So we found a few empty seats and settled in. By this time I was very nervous because a) we were late b) I am usually shy at first in big crowds of people and c) turns out we picked the table that had MckMama's Mama and sister!!! Double YIKES!



Thankfully MckMama's Mama and sister didn't bite and were VERY sweet! AND MckMama's Mama was a HOOT!! Man was she funny! Shortly after we made it to our table MckMama came by to meet us! She DID in fact remember me:) Yay!!! It was great to finally meet her!!! I was hoping to see Stellan too, but he was napping at home.



The brunch was GREAT! The people, the FOOD, the fellowship. It was all just a lot of fun. The food was really amazing. They had scones and fruit, bacon, eggs and french toast, a tossed chicken salad, and walleye, asparagus and potatoes. Oh it was just heavenly:) The day turned out to be wonderful:)



We were given cute orange bracelets as party favors from another blogger, and we were given a list of everyone that was there with their emails and blogs so we can keep in touch. We made time for a few group pictures too. The day ended with lots of hugs and thanksgiving for the special day. I would totally do that again! I only wish we were able to join in on the MckCruise fun this winter!!!



So it turns out I don't feel much like a blog stalker anymore:) And now I can say I have seen MckMama IRL!!!! Even though most people that I tell have NO CLUE what I am talking about!



Oh and the real bonus for Sara that day.....MckMama totally fixed her iphone!!!!! I guess that's what friends are for:)



AND we made it home in one piece without getting lost.

God Speaks!

Yes He does!!! We don't always listen...but He always speaks!

I have been spending more time in the Word and He has been using that time to settle my heart and to speak to me about a few things. I just LOVE when He does that:)

The last few days he has been giving me peace with scripture like this:

"Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father is my brother and sister and mother."
~Matthew 12:48-50

Sometimes our worldly families are just plane messed up. But that is because they are human and not of Him, but of the world. Fortunately for some people their worldly families are of Him and so they are also apart of their spiritual family. But for some people, such as myself, that is just not the case.

I have an amazing sense of peace, only from God, about this topic of families. He has shown me time and time again that it is indeed His spiritual family that I belong to because He has adopted me as a believer.

I am so thankful for Him and my brothers and sisters in Christ. They are more amazing than any family a girl like me could even dream of!!

In Christ...

I am God's child. John 1:12

I have been justified. Romans 5:1

I have been redeemed and forgiven of ALL my sins. Colossians 1:14

I am free forever from condemnation. Romans 8:1,2

I am assured that ALL thing work together for good. Romans 8:28

I am free from ANY condemning charges against me. Romans 8:31

I cannot be separated from the love of God. Romans 8:35

I am confident that the good work that God has begun in me will be perfected. Philippians 1:6

I have NOT been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. 2 Timothy1:7

I am born of God, and the evil one cannot touch me. 1 John 5:18

I am a branch of the TRUE Vine, a channel of His life. John 15:1,5

I am personal witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 1:8

I may approach God with freedom and confidence. Ephesians 3:12

I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

My Promise for the Week

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you"

~Matthew 5:11-12

Another Running Post

I know lame...right?? Have I nothing better to talk about than running?? Well.....not really:)

Anyways, I did another 5K this morning with my partner in crime, Sara. This one was right in our home town and we actually ran through my neighborhood! It started out a little rocky and ended a little rocky, but the middle was OK!

My first mile included one NASTY hill in the park but I still managed to finish that mile in 8:30!!!! That is insane, I NEVER run that fast, ever! I can tell I was pushing it too much though because my breathing was all out of whack and I just couldn't find my cadence for some reason.

After that I slowed it down a bit and got a little bit of my rhythm back. My time at mile 2 was 19:02, so you can see that I REALLY slowed it down compared to the first mile, but I normally run about an 11 or 11:30 mile.

Shortly after hitting the 2 mile mark I got a TERRIBLE stomach cramp. I tried running through it, but I just had to stop for a minute or two and walk it out. The cramp resolved and I went back at it. The last mile included 2 hills, one down, and one up right at the finish line, YUCK!

I totally got passed by Alicia who was looking good pushing a double stroller!! She did awesome and totally kicked my butt!

I crossed the finish line at 31 minutes some odd seconds, I can't remember for sure. So overall, I did better than my first 5K. I took off about 3 or 4 minutes which is awesome!

Maybe next time I can get it under 30 minutes!

And maybe next time I can try to pace myself a little better at the start so that the last mile isn't so rough.

It was nice having the kids and Ken there at the finish line! My friend Annie and her mom and sister came too! It helps you finish a little stronger when you have people cheering you on.

Yay for running!! I am looking forward to training myself this summer to get ready to do that 10K in September:)

Sorry I bored you all with my feeble attempts at running....but it's my blog...so there!:)

4 Miles Down.....2 To Go

So last night I went out for another run with my buddy Sara aka Domestically Challenged! I wanted to try and go for a 4 mile run this time since I have been able to do 3 mile runs a few times now. So we ventured out, on a new route, and totally did 4 miles!! Yay!! It may not be big to some people, but to me it is HUGE!! 4 months ago I could hardly run 5 minutes without certain death!

I am just so happy that accomplished my goal that I set out before me. Physically I know I can run, but my biggest challenge with running is the mental part. It can be such a mind game sometimes!!

So I am ready for my next 5K on the 13th here in Cambridge!! Sara and I are going to try a few hill runs this week in preparation for it.

And maybe if I keep at this pace I will be ready for that 10K in September:)

Movie Night

So Ken and I finally went on a date!! It has been forever since we have gone out with just us, no kids, no friends, just him and I. We jumped on the motorcycle and headed down town (Cambridge that is!) to the bar and grill where we had burgers and a drink (or two!) and then headed to the movie theater to watch a show. We saw Star Trek and we both loved it!!! Plus we saw previews for 2 other movies we can't wait to see, Transformers 2, and GI JOE!

It was great to spend time together! I love him dearly and love when we get us time. We both forget how important that is!

A Whole Year Older.....

and not much wiser....... I don't think!

I had a great time last night with some friends and my husband. We hogged the huge corner booth at Applebees for about 4 hours:) We laughed, and ate, and had a few drinks, and laughed some more! Get a few girls together and the giggles are almost unstoppable! We had the best looking Waiter in the house too!!! Even my husband was impressed by his good looks! All in all it was a good birthday celebration:)

Earlier in the day I got treated to Caribou by Jaden's grandma (Thanks Julie!!) and a fresh bouquet of Lilacs picked by my boys. Then Jaden and Eli sang me happy birthday during lunch. It was so cute! Jaden told me he was going to make me a cake this week when daddy has time to help him.

I can't believe I am 26 already. I know that 26 isn't old, but man it feels like I just turned 21!!

Slow and Steady

I am slowly starting to get myself out of this rut I have been in. Thanks for all the encouraging words:) I have started The Love Dare this week and so far so good. I was supposed to start it a few weeks ago with a few other gals (sorry Miss and Kristie, I have been a slacker!) but I just picked it up from the store. Better late than never I guess.

I have still been running, a little. I should be running more but I feel like I have been really busy with work and family stuff. Hopefully I will get out tonight when Ken gets home. I am doing another 5K on June 12th or 13th, I can't remember. This one is right in Cambridge so hopefully I will have a couple of cute boys waiting for me at the finish line:)

The past 2 weeks have been filled with lots of yard work around here. I have put in a few new gardens and have a few more to go. I am really starting to enjoy gardening and I am hoping that mixed with my running will be great stress relievers!

My baby turned 6 last week. I have been in total denial about it. I can't believe it has been 6 years already!!! Time goes by WAY too fast. He had a fun party at the pool with family and friends. He is getting so big so fast.

Here's to hoping the rest of this week involves sunshine!!!!

Oh and big props to my faithful running buddy Sara!! She just finished her first marathon on Sunday!! She isn't running with me this week because she needs to rest, but she will be back at in no time I'm sure:)

Ruts

I am in a rut. A really big one actually. You know the kind where the only person to blame is yourself. The kind of rut where you were the big dork that decided to put the little car your in, in reverse and try to drive across the big wet stinky muddy swamp. Yup, that kind of rut. YUCK!

How does a person put it in drive and make it out of that mess? Cause I need some serious 4x4 off road super charged with a hemi drive!

I can't say for sure when it all started (read: the minute I decided I was a better pilot than God), I can say that it has been going on for a little while (read: TOO long). I think I had something to do with it (read: I had EVERYTHING to do with it). Things don't seem to be looking up (read: I haven't been looking UP, to HIM). I really think I am not having much fun (read: this really sucks royally). I wish I knew what to do (read: HE knows that I know what to do). I am kinda being a little stubborn about getting out of this rut (read: I am being a royal pain in the rear and completely ignoring the obvious).

You know when you know what you have to do, but you just can't seem to do it? Well I do ALL too well.

God is the only thing that can get me out of this rut, but honestly I am kinda hurt and frustrated by God lately. That kinda puts a damper on me going to him for help, even though that is EXACTLY what I should do.

I am mad at church and even more mad that my husband and I can't agree on a church. I am sad that the church that we loved fell apart and even more sad that we don't even have relationships with some of those people anymore. I am devastated that our circle of friends and slowly grown smaller and even more devastated that my best friend ever is moving across the county to Washington DC for at least 3 years if not 1o. I am heart broken that my husband and I can't seem to be unified on anything lately and even more heart broken that neither of us can seem to see or even feel the other persons pain although we are supposed to be One. And I am furious at myself that I decided I didn't need God "that bad" these past months and even more furious that I can't just bring myself to him in the heaping tearful mess that I am because I feel like big fat loser and waste of His time. And to top it all off, I have been running and running for 2.5 months and haven't lost a single pound which totally adds to my ridiculous self image and worthlessness.

Dumb.

I had to vent. Mostly b.c. I need prayer. b.c. I am tired of pretending life is grand and oh so happy and perfect. Sometimes life sucks. And I know it could suck more. But life right now stinks. And I am tired of it..............

I Did It!!!!!

Today was the Moms Day 5K in Minneapolis. I ran the WHOLE 3.2 miles in the wind and cold. And the first half was up hill!! I finished in about 35 minutes which is about an 11:15 min/mile. Kinda slow, but I am just so pleased I didn't stop to walk:)

3 Months ago I couldn't even run for 3 minutes!!

Next up????? Maybe a 10K in September:)

I couldn't have done it without my friend Sara who has been my faithful running buddy:) She did awesome at keeping me going!

Back from Vacation!

Bet you didn't even know I was on vacation, since I blog so much:) Anyways, we are home, we are tired, and we are missing the sun and the fun. We went to Arizona to visit my grandparents! It was a ton of fun, and the kids had a great time. I don't know if my grandparents had that much fun with their house being overtaken with a noisey family of 5, but what the hey, family is worth it right??!!

I have to work all weekend so I most likely wont have time to get pics up here, but hopefully in a few days.

I actually took more video than pics for some reason:)

I will try to put something together to share with everyone. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Randomness and a Spring Fling!!

Where have I been?? Well, NOT cleaning, NOT packing for our trip, NOT getting our vehicle ready for the long haul......so I guess that leaves WORK!!

Yup that's where I have been:) Putting in the extra hours so I can enjoy our approaching vacation. I work up until the day before we leave, GREAT! So you will most likely find me packing the morning we are scheduled to depart! What happened to be being so organized with these types of things??? Oh yeah, kids and a husband!

In other news. I ran outside again today with Sara. I did MUCH better than last time, I think maybe the full night of sleep before hand helped:) I have not been able to stick to my couch to 5K running program this week. I am supposed to do 3 seperate 28 minute runs this week and I just can't do it. Physically I think my body can handle it, but mentally I have struggled with pushing myself this week. Oh well, not the end of the world. I am also trying to increase how often I am running outside which is very important since my race is NOT on a treadmill, shocking I know!

Anyways, sorry to bore you with the not so fun inner workings of my mind:)

I am way looking forward to the spring fling this Saturday.....I can't wait to make my post heheheheh. It's gonna be good!!!! If you want to know what the spring fling is, check out my friend Sara, she has ALL the details (including an accurate email!! j/k sara!).

Me complaining...a lot...

arrrgggg. So I have been nothing but a big baby today. So much so that my husband freaked out and called me a big sally!!!

So I did my run on Friday, right, it was good, it was hard, yada yada yada...I worked Friday night and then had breakfast with my aunt on Sat morning, which was great fun-we had lots of catching up to do.

Then I got home at noonish and was going to lay down and sleep since I had to work again Sat night. Well then I decided to take my friend Sara up on her offer to run outside......BAD IDEA!!!

She came over and we headed out for a run, my first outdoor run of the season. It was cold, I was tired ( like awake for more than 24hours tired), and I had just run the day before (I always take a day off between running since I am just a beginner runner).

It totally sucked! The whole time. We only did 1.75 miles, pathetic I know, and I was miserable.

When I got home and was able to go to bed I could NOT sleep. I had a terrible headache and felt nauseated. I ended up getting put on call for work (thank goodness), but I slept like crap all night, up every hour at least.

So today I feel like I was hit by a bus, a really big one!

So I am complaining about running, not feeling well, having extremely painful muscles, and this stupid headache that has still not departed. Yuck!

Days like yesterday and today make me want to give up running. But I know that I have to stick with it! I can do it. I will do it......just NOT two days in a row after being up for 24+ hours and outside when it's cold!

Monday I will be running on my treadmill:)

Week 6.....DONE!

My week 6 couch to 5K break down:

Day 1: Walk 5min, run 5 min, walk 3 min, run 8 min, walk 3 min, run 5 min, walk 5 min
This day was really easy, since day 3 of week 5 was running 20 min, this seemed like a breeze! I did an 11 min/mile while running.

Day 2: Walk 5, run 10, walk 3, run 10, walk 5. This was a little more challenging, but I did it and it felt great when I was done. I also did an 11 min/mile while running this week.

Day 3: Which I did TODAY:) Walk 5, run 25, walk 5!!! Yikes. I ran a 11:30 min/mile until the last 2 minutes when I bumped it up to a 11 min/mile. I never slowed down though:) This was a hard run, for me. I did a total of 2.75 miles with the walking time included.

I always feel so good when I am done running, but I have yet to actually REALLY enjoy myself while running. I hope that comes at some point! I can't believe what a mind battle running is. It is WAY more mental than physical, in my opinion! It has helped this week having some great music to run with.

Last week when I ran my first 20 minutes solid, I bought my self an ipod for a job well done:) Turns out that was a great idea and has really helped me to stay focused this week.

I am looking forward to Week 7, as all 3 runs will be for 25 minutes.

3 Miles here I come!!

God Is Awesome

I was just in the mood to say that I think God is Awesome. I love him and think he is swell. He is one heck of a guy. A great Father. A wonderful friend. A perfect definition of love. He IS love. He is many things. My Savior. My freedom. I get goose bumps just thinking about Him! Thanks God for being you.

Watch KSTP Channel 5 News tonight at 10pm!!

KSTP is doing a story on MckMama for the 10pm news tonight!

Everybody watch it!!!!

My Favorite Song By Far...............

Not Me! Monday~ Stellan Style

I totally did not contribute about 8,000 of the hits on MckMamas blog per DAY. Not Me!!



I did not check MckMamas blog and twitter once per hour while working the night shift, just to make sure that I didn't miss anything, or to make sure there wasn't something else to be praying for. Nope Not Me!



I did not sit and talk to one of my co-workers(who also reads mckmamas blog) about Stellan as if he was part of our close circle of friends and family or something. That would make me some kind of stalker for sure, Not Me!



I did not tell random people about this little boy "I knew" who needed prayers and encouraged them to pray for him and his family. They did not ask how "I knew" this boys family and my answer was not, "oh they are blogging friends". That got a few interesting looks!!! As if I am actually mckmamas friend...I WISH!!!



I have not been thinking about Stellan all of the time!! I have not been trying to come up with something really awesome to send Mckmama and Stellan in the hospital, something useful and thoughtful, and original............I still can't think of anything!!!



I have not been researching ALL of the medications and medical conditions associated with Stellans hospital stay hoping to understand more about what Mckmama is dealing with. Well, OK actually I did do these things...........I am a nurse after all. I LOVE learning about anything medical!!!!



And I especially did not pray for Stellan, nope no praying here:)



Not Me!!!!!!!!

I Did It!

I did it!! I finally ran a solid 2 miles...almost!! Just under 2 miles actually, and I thought I was dead when it was over. I came up stairs and the first thing Jaden said was "Mom what happened to you? Your forehead is all wet and shiney!!"

Yes I looked rough. But I did it and I never stopped once and I never decreased my pace. Yahooooo!

3 Miles HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!!!

Feeble Attempts at Running

I need to give a little update on my running....mainly for my records, as most of you probably aren't that interested in my feeble attempts at running:)

I have one day left of week 5 and then I'll be moving on to week 6. I am still running 3 days a week, and averaging a little over 2 miles each time. So a grand total of about 6.5 miles per week Which means I have run about 24 miles in the past month or so, that ROCKS!!! I have only been running about a 11 minute mile, but at this point I will take anything.

I am still alternating running and walking, so I have yet to actually run those whole 2 miles. At times I feel like I should be pushing myself a little more, but I am sticking to this 9 week program and don't want to rush myself. I have actually been enjoying running and my legs have not been hurting too much. In the past when I have attempted running my legs always hurt after the second or third time running and then I give up...but not this time!

I am enjoying the pace of the this program for the most part and I am really looking forward to being able to run my 5K the beginning of May with my friend Sara.

I did get a new pair of running and shoes and they are GREAT.

The only thing I would like to see change is........my weight!!! I was hoping that running would help me lose weight in addition to strengthening my cardio system. Oh well, some day soon...I hope!

Praying for Stellan

Please visit MckMama and read about their prayer needs for Stellan. It has been a crazy 24 hours for them.

If you believe in the Mighty Healing Power of our Lord and Savior...

Flood the gaits with prayers.......

Random Stuff

OK seriously. I need to keep up with this blog WAY more than I do. I would like to say that I have been SOOOO busy the last few weeks running in ALL my spare time that I have not had a chance to post anything, but that would be a lie. Although I have still been running, but only 3 days a week. At this point, that is about all my legs can take!

I have been averaging about 2 miles 3 times a week for a total of 6 miles a week:) Yay, that is way more than I have done in like EVER!!

I must say that I have started to enjoy it a little more but it is still hard sometimes to get myself motivated to get on the treadmill. And I have also been very frustrated because I am not loosing any weight!! ugg....

I went swim suit shopping last night and it basically sucked! It's like a bad dream but worse, cuz it is TOTAL reality. I hate swim suit shopping no matter what, but I was hopeful that I would feel better about myself since I have been diligent with working out....NOT the case at all.

Oh well, I figure I should be able to find a cute printed moo-moo to wear swimming.

We are leaving in a month for a nice 10 day vacation with the kiddos. This will be our first ever family trip. And it will be a road trip, 27 hours one way. Yahoo! It will be interesting driving down to Arizona with all the kids, but I love road trips and I think we are gonna have a ton of fun. The kids are really looking forward to it too.

I realize that I have not posted any pics of the kids for a long time, and honestly I have not taken any pics of the kids for a while, so I am working on putting some up here. I also am working on a video of Eli talking. He is just a chatter box!! It is SO cute when he talks and it just makes me smile every time he says something. God totally answers prayers!! Eli is going to be an amazing speaker of Gods word some day, I just KNOW it:)

Running Totals

Here are my totals for this week. The numbers sound pathetic, but I gotta start somewhere!

Tues. 1.75 miles of alternating between running and walking
Thurs. 1.75 miles of alternating between running and walking
Sat. 2 miles of alternating between running and walking

For a total of 5.5 miles :)

I finished up with week 2 of my 9 week couch potato to 5K runner program. YAHOO!!!!!!

Week 3.....here I come!

The Big Race

OK here is the big reveal....although it CAN'T top Mckmamas big reveal!!!

I have decided on a race:) I will be doing the Moms Day 5K, in May, by the way!!!! Oh I am a dork.

Anyways it is el-cheapo, which is awesome, it is still a ways away so I have time to train(i.e. be able to run the WHOLE 3 miles without a heart attack), and each person that crosses the finish line gets a plant since it's the day before mothers day:)

What fun!

Here is the info (click on May, then click on Moms Day 5K) for anyone that wants to join me!! We should get a group of moms together from our area and run together, but seriously no one has to run as slow as I do! I'll just meet you ladies at the finish line:)

So I Started Running.....

and NO I have not been running in public! I don't want to offend anyone. Maybe after I lose 20 pounds I will make my way outdoors to run, but until then, strictly indoors, in my basement, ALONE!

I have always wanted to be a runner, and I have tried a few times over the past few years to do this. However, I have not known the best way to start and I end up to the point where I can bearly walk, so then I just give up. Well, I found this great website that says it can turn me from a couch potato to a 5K runner in 9 weeks. Sounds like a long time to get me to run only 3 miles without dying, but hey it's worth a try.

So I am at the end of week 1 and so far so good. In addition to using the treadmill I have been going to Zumba classes once a week and getting a really good workout! So far I have lost 3 pounds, I'm sure it's only water weight!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But whatever, 3 pounds is better than a big fat ZERO.

I am trying to find a 5K run in April or May that I can participate in. Anyone know any good websites that have that kind of local info????

One day down.....

I made it through the day! It turned out to be a GREAT day. We didn't follow the routine exactly, but we did try to follow as much of it as we could. For example, I did NOT wake up early enough to get all my stuff done before the children woke up. So I ended up running and showering during nap time which worked out just fine. I didn't get nearly as much laundry done as I would have liked, but I am still working on it, and there is always tomorrow!

The one amazing thing about today was......I didn't give 1 single timeout or spanking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There were a few times my voice needed to be raised, but over all the boys did fantastic today. They do so much better with structure.

I am looking forward to trying to work the routine tomorrow as well. Jaden and Eli both have school, but I think we will be staying home as Jaden has a sore throat and sounds like he swallowed a frog.

Welcome to the oh so boring life of Jazz!

Routine.... Or Lack There Of

Seriously! It has been over a week since I posted! I need major blogging help! Totally kidding, btw. What I really need is a more functioning schedule. My work schedule has been totally out of whack because of all the extra shifts I was picking up, and now it is finally back to normal for the most part, but now I just can't seem to get on a daily home schedule that works.

I am in the middle of a 7 day stretch of NO work. I thought for sure I would have accomplished so much, and yet I feel as though I have accomplished hardly anything at all. I am so stinkin exhausted all I want to do is lounge around when I have extra time. Yuck! I hate being lazy.

I guess I should give myself some credit, my house has been fairly clean and maintained the last few days. Laundry...not so much. My poor hubby has to search the house every morning looking for socks!

Anyways, I am just trying to come up with a better routine on a day-to-day basis. It always seems like our days are so different. Between my working nights, Jaden having school every other day, Eli having speech 2 mornings a week, and preschool 2 afternoons a week, daycare one day a week, I can't get down a routine or schedule that works smoothly. It is so frustrating.

I am hoping to start fresh on Monday with a routine something like this:

Wake before the children-run, shower, start breakfast, maybe sneak in a load of laundry
Wake the children
Breakfast
Get the children ready-bath/shower, dressed
Have some play time-clean up the kitchen
Group activity-game, books, craft
Morning snack
Engage children in helping tidy up the house for a few minutes
Head downstairs-more laundry, play time for kids, maybe a short movie
Upstairs-get lunch ready, have kids pick out a story for after lunch, have kids set the table
Lunch
Story
Nap for Eli, quiet time for Jaden, Computer/quiet time for mom
Afternoon snack
Outside if weather is nice or inside game/art
Downstairs again-play time, more laundry
Upstairs- prepare dinner, 15 minute power pick up, boys set table
Dinner
Family time after dinner clean up
Get ready for bed
Story
Bed time
Mom relax time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope this works well. Monday there is no school and no daycare so it will be a good day to mess with our current routine and work out the kinks. Tuesday will be a whole different story! Here's to hoping this helps!

Welcome to Lectio Divina

I have been wanting to do this for a while. I am not sure how it will work via blog, but I feel like this is what I am supposed to do. Thanks to a couple that Ken and I hold dear to hearts, we were introduced to Lectio Divina, and it is amazing. So I want to share it with you.

Lectio Divina is the reading of Scripture not to satisfy our minds with answers, but reading of Scripture for “such things as move the heart to devotion” (Thomas a Kempis).

To do this requires intentionally shedding the common methods most of us use when we read. Tony Jones notes,

The fact is, we read mostly for entertainment or information. Whether it be a novel, the newspaper, magazines, professional journals, or the Bible, we read almost exclusively for these two reasons. We need to approach the Bible differently for lectio.
(Sacred Way, p. 51)

In Lectio we listen not for information but for connection. We listen for Jesus: the living, active, incarnate Word. When we hear him, he speaks to our hearts.

The four step process is as follows:
~Lectio (Reading)
~Meditatio (Meditation)
~Oratio (Prayer)
~Contemplatio (Contemplation)

Again, the purpose of this process is not to receive a communiqué of information but to commune with God: to feel his touch, to hear his voice, to taste his goodness, which will change us.

Lectio (Reading)

~Pick a quiet and solitary place to read, preferably the same “sacred place” each time.
~Pray a prayer expecting to sense God’s presence and voice.
~Read the text slowly, repeatedly, and aloud. Hold a hand or hands open, palms up, to symbolize your desire to receive the Word.
~Listen for a certain word or phrase or image that rises above the rest of the text and grabs hold of you.
~Write down you answer to the Lectio step: “What word or phrase or sentence jumped out at you as you listened?”

Meditatio (Meditation)

~Write a couple of sentences of reflection around what you heard or saw. What feelings and emotions does it conjure up?

Oratio (Prayer)

~Write a brief prayer of response to what you hear God saying to you.

Contemplatio (Contemplation)

~Reread the passage to simply soak in, to rest in, the Word. Then be still and let silence be the song you are singing together.

*After going through Lectio individually and as part of a small group, it has completely changed the way I understand devotion time with God. I am hoping to post scripture once a week for people to participate in. I will share some of what God has shown or spoken to me, and you can feel free to leave a comment with the same, or make a separate post on your blog. I just want to encourage people to participate, it really can be amazing when we give dedicated time and silence to God.

This weeks verses:

Isaiah 4 3:1-3a, 4b

But now, this is what the Lord says

he who created you...

he who formed you..:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name;

you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord, your God,

the Holy One...,

your Savior...

and

I love you."

Lectio:
What word or phrase or image jumped out at you as you listened?
"Fear not, I have redeemed you, summoned you, you ARE mine." I am redeemable, I am worth something, I am needed for something important, to be summoned is a "big deal", not to be taken lightly, I AM HIS. The word WHEN stuck out to me each time it was used. So matter of fact- not IF, but WHEN you pass through the waters, rivers, and fire....
I will be with you.

Meditatio:
Write a couple of sentences of reflection around what you heard or saw. What feelings and emotions does it conjure up?
God has summoned me for something in His great plan. It involves trusting Him, NEEDING Him. There WILL be troubles and obstacles, but ALSO victories. It brings a mix of emotions to me.

Oratio:
Write a brief prayer of response to what you hear God saying to you.
Thank you Father for revealing this to me. Show me Lord where you have summoned me, where you need me in your great plan. Remind me that I am yours, because I am human and insecure at times, and I forget that I BELONG to you. Do as your word says and be with me, allow me to feel your presence more. Help me through the waters, rivers, and fires. I will go through them for you, I know they will strengthen me. Thank you Lord for loving me. For saving me. For allowing me to be yours. For redeeming me, and calling me by name. I am ready to listen. To be still. To be silent to you and your will for my life.

Contemplatio:
Reread the passage to simply soak in, to rest in, the Word. Then be still and let silence be the song you are singing together.

Then share with us what God revealed to you!

p.s. Thank you to Dale for introducing us to Lectio, we LOVE it!

Yay For This Weekend

I am so looking forward to this weekend. There is so much to look forward to. I don't work again until Monday, my husbands birthday is today, we get to go out for pizza and games with the boys tonight, Ken and I and a bunch of friends get to go skiing tomorrow with NO kids, and we get to go to church on Sunday as a family.

God is good and I just love him so...

Randoms

1. What time did you get up this morning? Um, I have been up since yesterday morning at about 6:00. I did have a 2 hour mini nap in there somewhere, I think.
2. Diamonds or pearls: DIAMONDS
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Fireproof with my lovely husband.
4. What is your favorite TV show? Greys Anatomy
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? lots of things, I love a BIG breakfast, oatmeal, eggs, cereal, toast, bacon, fruit, mmmmm.
6. What is your middle name? Kristine
7. What food do you dislike? mushrooms, YUCK
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Honestly, I have not been listening to music lately. I am addicted to conservative talk radio, Yes, I am a dork!
9. What kind of car do you drive? The typical soccer mom mini van, and I love it.
10. Favorite sandwich? Either a veggie sandwich, or a turkey and veggie sandwich, with humus.
11. What characteristic do you despise? Being fake (I agree with you Miss)
12. Favorite item of clothing? A sexy pair of jeans that fits just right. I don't actually own a pair anymore!
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Europe or Australia, but I hate to fly. So that limits my options.
14. Favorite brand of clothing? Whatever fits and doesn't require a second mortgage on my house to buy.
15. Where would you retire to? Anywhere close to my children and grandchildren.
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? A few years ago a few friends and I went and had a tea party that was a TON of fun.
17. Favorite sport to watch? Something girly like gymnastics.
Furthest place you are sending this? I have no stinking idea.
19. Person you expect to send it back first? Again, no stinking idea.
20. When is your birthday? June 02, yup everyone forgets because it's at the beginning of the month.
Are you a morning person or a night person? I used to be a morning person. I have never been a night person, but now I work nights. I have become some strange combination of both. I am an "awake all the time" person I guess.
22. What is your shoe size? 9-10
23. Pets? A toy poodle named Latte and a gold fish named Goldy(original I know).
24. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share with us? I wish!!!
25. What did you want to be when you were little? A model, a teacher, or a stay at home mom. What was I thinking!
26. How are you today? Great for being awake since yesterday morning. And very very proud of my Little Eli.
27. What is your favorite candy? CHOCOLATE anything.
28. What is your favorite flower? I am having a brain fart here......I know what they look like but can't remember their name.
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? When I am debt free.
30. What's your full name? Jacynda Kristine
31. What are you listening to right now? Jaden teaching Eli a few new words while he sits on the toilet. Weird I know, buy hey, anything to get Eli interested in using the bathroom.
32. What was the last thing you ate? A few crackers and hot coco.
33. Do you wish on stars? nope.
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Black.
35. How is the weather right now? Cold.
36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today?Jeni Z.
37. Favorite soft drink? Root beer, but hold the root. Totally joking!
38. Favorite restaurant? Anything Italian or seafood.
39. Real hair color? A weird shade of red.
40. What was your favorite toy as a child? Anything that wasn't mine.
41. Summer or winter? I like spring:)
42. Hugs or kisses? Lots of both. Hugs from my boys, kisses from my man.
43. Chocolate or Vanilla? Is there any other flavor than CHOCOLATE?
44. Coffee or tea? Both, depends on the day.
45. Do you want your friends to answer these? For sure, especially Sara T
46. When was the last time you cried? Today while I was watching my baby at preschool and listening to him say a TON of words I have never heard him say before.
47. What is under your bed? I am afraid to look.
48. What did you do last night? I worked all night.
49. What are you afraid of? Lots of things. I have a terrible problem with fear. Mainly I am afraid to die before my boys are adults.
50. Salty or sweet? Sweet oh so sweet.
51. How many keys on your key ring? One
52. How many years at your current job? 7 months
53. Favorite day of the week? Any day I have off and am with the family.
54. How many towns have you lived in? 5
55. Do you make friends easily?I have no idea, ask them.

Please copy and paste to your blog and leave comment so I can go read yours!!!

My morning went something like this....

...leave work on time despite the CRAZY busy night we had.
Drive to the in laws in -14 degree weather, brrr(thank goodness for the new remote starter!).
Get to the in laws only to be greeted by my 3 year old with a "no" and a shove to try to get me to leave.
Spend 30 minutes getting my son ready and willing to leave gramas without a fight.
Get out to the van, only to have him refuse to sit in his booster seat.
Force him into his booster seat and take his toys away for being naughty.
Drive home while listening to him kick and scream like the world was coming to an end.
Pull over on Hwy 95 to spank him for successfully climbing OUT of his booster seat while I was driving 60mph.
Continue to listen to him kick and scream.
Drive with my L hand while holding him IN his booster seat with my R hand (very safe I am sure!)
Yell at him for being so out of control this morning.
Pull over again because he over powered me and climbed out of his booster AGAIN!
Continue to drive home while holding onto his jacket with a death grip while he throws a fit on the floor of my van.
Continue to hold him and brake for the upcoming stop sign, which throws him up to the front of the van.
He continues to kick and scream, never mind the fact he whacked his head on the seat.
Physically hold him down on the floor between the two front seats of my van while driving the last 3 blocks home.
Curse a few times to myself for what a sucky morning it is obviously going to be.
Get home only to have the garage door only open half way because of the cold.
Get out of the van and carry my screaming child into the house and spank him again and put him in his room for a VERY long time out.
Put myself in my room for a VERY long time out.
Ask God for a miracle amount of patience.
Pray that no one saw what was going on in my van and turn me into social services!!!!!!!

And this was only the first hour of my morning........Today is GOING to be great!


p.s. God did give me patience, thank goodness. And the rest of my morning hasn't been bad:)

25 Random Things About Me

Thanks for tagging me Sara! You are OH too kind...and funny!

1. I am laying in bed this very minute, half dressed.
2. Yes hunny, you heard me right........(that got his attention)!
3. Me and chocolate are BFF's.
4. Especially chocolate with carmel...mmmm.
5. I have a secret love affair with 80's rock music.
6. OK I lied, it isn't a secret.
7. My boys are my life.
8. I have to be reminded constantly by my therapist that I AM NOT LIKE MY MOTHER!
9. I am actually starting to believe her.
10. I am craving pizza right now.
11. I think my friend Sara is a Spaz.
12. She thinks so too.
13. I am in love with my friend Amanda's new baby.
14. I am trying to come up with a really good plan where I can steal her baby and she won't notice :)
15. It isn't working.
16. I sometimes wear my high heels when I am cleaning my house.
17. It makes me feel like a sexy french maid.
18. I recently started running.
19. It is ridiculous to look at.
20. I have been wanting to have a Pampered Chef party for months.
21. I am too lazy to plan it.
22. I work nights, and love it.
23. Just not full time.....that stinks.
24. I am DYING to have another baby.
25. My husband isn't.

I want to know 25 Random Things About YOU:)

Give me an E.....Give me a L......Give me an I....what does that spell....ELI, ELI, ELI!!! Yay ELI!!!!

OK so I am weird, big surprise! Have you seen my family tree???????? J/K

Anyways, as you may have guessed, this much over due post is about ELI!!!!

My cute little fella with very few words........

until now that is!!!!!

That is right people. We have had a break through with speech:) (cue standing applause)

My baby can now say,

mom, dad, ball, go, in, pop, no, gone, uh oh, doc & the king(from the Cars movie), please, and I think I may be forgetting a few!!!

Now they don't ALL sound exactly like what they should, but beggars CAN'T be choosers!

He is saying them fairly regularly around the house, but still not much in public or for his speech therapist.

But some progress is better than no progress and I am completely giddy that my baby says mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is the cutest thing I have ever heard:)

So this post is for you ELIJAH!

Mommy is BEYOND proud of you! I know that you are going to grow to become an amazing speaker of Gods Word to many. Keep up the hard work buddy! We love you with all our love.

Ramblings.....

I can't believe how long it has been since I have posted something or anything with substance. I have been SO crazy busy and tired lately.

I have discovered that ME + working FULL time = TIRED, CRABBY, and FORGETFUL

*note to self, quit working!.......yeah right!

You may wonder, why on earth am I working full time? Because I can (it is a blessing), and because my wonderful hubby has been layed off since the start of December. So the good news, it has only been temporary. Thank you Jesus!!! Ken is back to work this week, and has a few weeks of work lined up, so I get to take it easy again:)

I miss being home with my little fellas. I miss having a memory. I miss cooking dinner every night for my hard working husband. I miss sleeping. I miss having a clean house. Ahhhhhh.......

You know it's bad when you realize that you forgot when you last showered!!!!! Or what day of the week of the month of the year it is!!!! Or the last time you slept more than 3 hours at a time!!!! Yikes, I must look CRAZY to everyone around me:)

Anyways, enough with the pity party. I am getting my schedule back and I am REALLY looking forward to it. Even though the last month and a half has been a blur, it has been a HUGE blessing, and God is reminding me of His faithfulness to us and our family. HE is awesome.

You see, if this would have happened to us at any other time up to this point, we would have been....not prepared to say the least. God has blessed me with a good paying job and the ability to pick up more hours, even when it seemed as though there were no hours to get. God has also blessed our finances in making them stretch further than we thought possible. Since we have started our Total Money Makeover, God has really shown Himself to us. We finally started honoring Him in that area of our marriage and lives, and I have imagined, a time or two, Him saying to us, "Can you see NOW the plans I have had for you, the plans to prosper you, the plans I have had all along.... I was just waiting for you to let ME in....I was waiting for you to say 'enough of my way, let's do this God's way'....just know, there is more to come.....".

So instead of getting behind in bills, and picking and choosing what to pay this month, which is what would have happened in the past if one of us was out of work, we have been able to pay above and beyond our monthly bills. We still have an emergency fund, we are still attacking debt, and we are still learning how to let God lead us. I feel beyond blessed:)

I can't tell enough people how freeing this whole money makeover process is. We have started taking the Financial Peace University class too, which is also offered by Dave Ramsey. It is a 13 week course that covers in more detail, the biblical based steps to achieving financial peace and honoring God with you finances. So far, so good:) I highly recommend both of his books to anyone who is tired of being a slave to debt.

I have so much more to fill people in on, but I will save it for a later post. This one got a little longer than I expected.

Oh, and props to Miss for telling me about her Total Money Makeover and recommending the book!!!!! Thanks for the life changing advice!