While visiting family for our anniversary/Boston’s 1st B-day :), my mother-in-law pulled out a box of keepsakes from when Aaron was younger. It was so fun to look through it. It gave me a glimpse as to what Aaron was like as a child. My favorite find in his box were original poems compliments of a 7th grade Aaron. Here are a couple of my favorites:
This one is my favorite!! A limerick:
There once was a man with an application
Who wanted to work at a gas station.
He worked one day
And got his pay.
Then he took a two week vacation.
Obviously he wrote this next one before he met me…haha.
I’m sick.
Not lay in the bed all day sick.
Not I have a major headache sick.
Not sick like a person in a hospital,
But just bored of everything sick.
Tired of those long, long days.
Hoping that something new and exciting will happen soon.
Sick that everyday is always the same.
I wish…..
I were a bird
Soaring through the sky
Looking down on all the earth
Leaving my worries behind.
My sweet “baby” boy turned 9 on Sunday! Where has the time gone? Here is a snapshot of Caden on his 9th birthday:
He still loves to cuddle with me (I’ll take it as long as I can get it!). He is constantly wanting to curl up with me and read or just talk.
He is WISE beyond his years. When I told him the other day that he was like a sponge, he said, “Yes, but when you squeeze my brain, all of the knowledge doesn’t come out.” hehe.
He is constantly teaching me (and others) new things. (Just ask EVERY teacher he has ever had :)
He has such a kind heart. He is very empathetic.
To celebrate, Caden invited the sweet boys from his class to a detective party. It was the most fun I have ever had planning a party…and having one!
First, the boys came to the door.
They were greeted by me, Aaron, and Rylan (secret agents M.O.M., D.A.D, and B. R. O.) 
dressed in all black and wearing shades. They could only enter if their identities were cleared by “scanning” their thumbprints through an I-phone Ap (gotta love em!). Immediately, they started their FBI training. First, their pictures were taken for their ID badges. Then they were taken
to the training/briefing room (where we had the TV and 3 laptops set up) and they received a notepad and pencil and magnifying glass.
They started their training with “I.D by interrogation”. I put an index card with a name of a crime solver(s) on each of their back and they had to figure out who they were by asking yes or no questions to each other. (They were Sherlock Holmes, The Boxcar Children, and Scooby Doo).
They then moved on to “Item Observation and Memorization” by looking at a tray of random items for 30 seconds and then writing down everything they saw.
They continued their training with some help from the FBI kids wesbite.
They then moved on to “In House Training by Senior Secret Agents” by watching our training video….Inspector Gadget.
Next on the agenda was learning to activate invisible ink (a message written in white crayon on white paper showed up when the boys rubbed over it with a q-tip dipped in colored water)….this would come in handy later.
Next was Message Decoding where they learned “Decoding 101″…A=1, Z=26, etc.
The most important part was next…time to put their training to use! The presents had been stolen!!! I quickly received a message through my headset from HQ who the suspects were and that they were sending their bios to the TV. The pictures appeared as I read the bios to the boys.
Here are the subjects in question and their bios:
Sir Schnoz Significante –the Chef
Professor Pharfensighten- the Tutor
Priscilla Prissybottoms- the Stingy Aunt
I. Chihuahua-the Celebrity Dog
Bradford Bootler III- the Butler
They started off where the presents were…and found their first clue. Each clue led to another place and eliminated a suspect. 
Eventually they solved the crime by comparing a found fingerprint with the one on the suspect bios and matched it to Priscilla Prissybottoms. We “reported” to headquarters and they apprehended her.
The boys each got a goodie bag (the confidential briefing folder) filled with their FBI badge, a mystery book and workbook, a magnifying glass, their notebook and pencil, a disquise, and their official FunBirthdayInvestigation training certificate.
It was so fun to see the excitement on Caden’s face. The time and energy spent planning it was sooooooooooo worth it to think this will be a forever memory for him…….and me :)!
….One of these things just doesn’t belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time you finish my blog?
What does it mean to be set apart?
What does being different look like? Sound like? Think like? Act like?
I’ve been contemplating this a lot lately. I feel I am too much like the world.
Do those that come into contact with me know that Christ lives within me?
Do my words express it? Are my words kind? Well thought out? Based on my beliefs? OR Are they brash? Quick out of my mouth? Based on my emotions?
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29
"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" James 1:19
Does the way I treat others show it? Do I drop everything to help someone? Even someone I struggle to love?
"You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" Matthew 5:43-44
The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:14
It all stems from the heart….are my motives right? Do I do good things for the praise of man????
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Philippians 2:3
"Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matthew 6:1
"let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16
Am I thinking like the world? Do I worry about things that won’t last? (Do I worry PERIOD?) Do I wish for bigger and better this and that?
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6
"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5
How am I spending my money? Am I constantly trying to keep up with the Jones’? Am I accumulating things that won’t make me happy anyway? OR am I thankful for what I have…even if it’s not as much as many (but a whole lot more than the majority of the world) so I can spend my money on things that REALLY make a difference for the Lord?
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:34
How do I spend my time? My kids time? Do I constantly do things that have no eternal value? How much TV am I watching? Are my kids over-scheduled? Is every night consumed with an activity and therefore, sacrificing teachable and special moments because of it???
What do I expose myself to? What do I see in movies? On TV? What do I read in books? Magazines?
One of my college professors that is dear to my heart gave me a gauge for deciding on what things are ok to watch, say, etc. He said, "Would you do it if Jesus were sitting in the room with you? Because he is."
I’ve found that I need to take inventory of all these things regularly. It’s easy to become complacent, slowly but surely, where the line between where I am and where should be begins to fade. I challenge you to do the same today…to becoming passionately different for Christ.
Are you in??
Let me just say that I realize some of you will think I am CRAZY after this blog post…but I really am ok with that :). I just came across a book called Preparing Him for the Other Woman by Sheri Rose Shepherd. Here is a snip-it of what it’s about:
Preparing Him for the Other Woman…
This timely message gives mothers the faith, wisdom and strength to raise a toddler or a teen to grow up to be a great husband and a man of his word…equipped to remain faithful and experience a happy and healthy family.
It’s true…A Mother’s influence can change the success rate of the next generation’s marriages.
What a great gift to give to our sons!
The time is now to prepare our boys for victory.
We do not have to wait for the world to change its moral fiber to win this war against broken homes, broken hearts, infidelity and divorce. A mother is the first lady in her son’s life and her love and influence in her beloved boy’s life can help change the success rate of the next generation’s marriages and rebuild the foundation of family … one boy at a time.
Let me start off by saying that YES, like you, this is something I’d rather not think about just yet….I want my babies to be babies and at home with me forever! I am in NO hurry for them to grow up and move out! But the fact remains….the day is coming, and it will come faster than we expect!
It has been put on my heart to be proactive in this with my boys. Just by raising them in a Christian home leaves no guarantee that they will automatically know how to be a good husband. I love how this book uses prayer, God’s Word and education of a woman’s heart to teach boys of all ages how to one day lead their families.
After reading the first few chapters of this book, I started really thinking about the boys’ future wives. I have been praying for them for sometime now even though I don’t know who they are. I went out today and purchased 3 journals. I have committed to filling their pages with prayers for these women along with my prayers for my sons on their journeys to be the husbands God has created them to one day be. I plan to give them to my future daughters in law on their wedding day. (I just completed the last chapter a few minutes ago and she suggests doing this….no wonder I love her as an author!)
I also purchased 2 more copies of this book. I am giving them away! You could be the proud owner of one! If you are interested, all you have to do is answer this question and I will pick 2 winners (or maybe I’ll make my husband do it)!
Is there something that you don’t like to think about, but God is calling you to prepare for? If so, what is it and are you committed to doing so in obedience?
So far this new year I have been thinking and praying a lot about changes I need to make to be more Christlike and a better light for Him. I’m not going to list the things made known to me right now in fear that you would give up reading the rest of the post because of the mere length of it. I will share one with you now. I feel like I need to be more real!
I believe that in our lives we all, and dare I say especially Christians, try to act like we have it all together. We put up a good front to save face. Those that really know me (or for that matter, any one who has EVER stepped foot in my house) KNOW that this is not me!…..But a conversation I had recently with someone from church made me realize that I came across to at least 1 person as someone who has all her ducks in a row. (Please keep the rolling laughter to a minimum… I can hear you through the computer, plus you will give yourself a stitch!)
So, in the spirit of integrity and of being open, here is how it REALly is:
My house is a mess 85% of the time. (ok, 90%)
My kids sometimes fight with each other…and yes, sometimes with me!!
I sometimes (more than I’d like to admit) lose my temper…even with those I love most!
I don’t pray as often as I should.
At times I care too much what others think of me (and have to remind myself that I only need to please 1 person…the One who made me)
Sometimes my husband gets on my nerves. Oh come on, admit it, yours does too! I love him dearly (he is an amazing gift from God), but we are 2 selfish people living under 1 roof. We love each other with a forever love and have vowed to make it work NO MATTER WHAT but alas, he still gets on my nerves sometimes :) Bigones babe!
(After letting Aaron preview this. He says if I really want to get real, I would say that I get on his nerves sometimes too…and I do!)
Too many times I’m a terrible daughter, sister, friend, leader because I’m too busy “dealing” with my own problems/concerns to take the time to serve others.
More often than I’ll admit to if you confront me with this, I have melt downs about all I have to do/go through/deal with (I mean really…snap out of it already and realize how blessed you are Jennifer!)
Most of the time I have NO idea what I’m doing! (but God does. And I let him guide me!)
I have and do make mistakes…BIG ones and small ones….but the good news is, by the grace of God, they are forgiven! (And I strive every day to make fewer and smaller ones).
And drum roll please…..I know you couldn’t have missed it above….most of the time, I look like that! AHHHH! No need to adjust your computer monitor…no it’s not a screen shot from the latest horror film..that’s me…the REAL me, mega flaws and all!
There is a side note here. (read it really fast and it will be like the fine print) I am not happy with my flaws in areas of sin or those that affect my relationship with God or my ministry to others…those I am striving to change! I don’t think we should ever become comfortable or complacent in these things! But as for the other things that just really don’t matter…..
You know, I’m ok with it…ok,ok, I’m learning to be ok with it because afterall, if we had it all together, would we have a need to depend on God or those He has sent into our lives to support us?
What do you need to be real about? Get it out…it feels good ..plus we can’t change if we don’t admit there is something that needs changing:)
