We had such a blast last week with the Schneiders from Brazil staying with us over the Thanksgiving holiday. “King” Thomas is a blast, always quick with a smart-aleck comment! Agnes is a wonderful friend, easy to talk to, encouraging, and full of laughter as well. Their two daughters are knock-outs with legs as long as I am tall. (I know, not saying much!) Then there’s Mark, or Markie as we all called him. He’s four, speaks no English, and is all boy. Melissa, the oldest daughter, is definitely related to me as she LOVES to shop! Camila is precious and is wonderful with the younger children. Too bad she doesn’t live here to babysit! Markie and Jia had a great time playing together. You’d never know that they couldn’t communicate very well from all the time that they spent playing together. I did notice that he caught on to, “It’s mine!” See, we’ll turn him into a spoiled American yet!

We also spent a lot of time with the Englishes while the Schneiders were here. What a blast! On Thanksgiving, Grant fried a turkey, without blowing up or burning down our house, and Rowland baked a turkey. Amy and I took care of all of the sides and desserts, and I think we outdid ourselves! Agnes jumped right in and was a huge help, and Thomas made the “kid noise” bearable for me by making me a couple of caipirinhas!! If you haven’t had one before, you’re missing out!

We also drove to Winter Park to meet the Englishes for lunch on the slopes one day. It was beautiful! Thomas was a true tourist as he and his family got under the snow-making machines and took pictures of themselves. Brazilians!! What can you say?! On the way home, we stopped at the mall again (thank you, Agnes and Melissa), then ate a late dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. In fact, we ate and shopped a lot while they were here!! Two of my favorite things!

KeKe, Camila, Me, William, Carson, Jia, Rowland, Melissa, Agnes, and Mark (Thomas took the picture)

What a fun time we had just hanging with good friends! Those are the times memories are made!

Grant, Amy, Me, Rowland, Thomas, and Agnes Saying Goodbye!

The Whole Clan!

A precious friend of mine from Little Rock died today after a hard battle with cancer. Janet Greenwood was an amazing lady who loved the Lord immensely. She would run Powerpoint during the worship service, and she would be clicking between slides with one hand as she stood and raised the other to her Father. Her entire face would light up as she sang and glorified her King. She was truly inspirational to watch.

I remember several years ago her sharing with me that she had been praying for her husband for around 25 or so years. David is a precious man who adored her and of whom she always spoke so highly, but He didn’t know Jesus. She asked me to pray, and, of course, because she asked me, I did. All the while, in the back of my mind, I had strong doubts that after such a long period of time he would ever become a Christ-follower. Her faith was contagious, though, and as Rowland and I and many others prayed for David, she began to share small steps she was seeing her husband take. I’ll never forget the afternoon that Mark Schatzman, the senior pastor, called our home to tell us that David had prayed to receive Christ and was on his way to tell Janet. Rowland and I both cried, jumped up and down, and thanked God for softening David’s heart and giving him the faith he needed. By asking me to pray for her husband, I witnessed her undying faith and God’s great work. What a powerful example of a praying wife!

There were numerous times through the years that Janet and I would pray for each other. I always knew that if she said that she was praying, she was. Likewise, I felt honored to pray for her and those issues that were close to her heart. Janet was a “safe place” to share my heart. I never heard her gossip or say anything ugly about anyone. She was a woman who sought God and was still a “real” person who had her own struggles and heartaches. And she was willing to share those struggles if she thought it would be an encouragement to someone else. Before me, she had walked in places that I, too, walked. She would share what she had learned from those experiences as she came alongside me.

I love David as well. (He has always reminded me of David Hasselhoff!) David always has a smile on his face, one of those smiles that makes you feel liked, special. And he always has a hug. Rowland was honored to be able to “help” baptize him. I still remember the tears running down my cheeks and those of so many others in the room. People seemed to be drawn to David and Janet.

Watching David and Janet together was watching a love story, watching two people who had committed to love each other for life continue to fight for each other through the good times and the bad times. Theirs was a special love. In the end, David was able to sit with her and read Scripture to her as she calmly left this world. He was able to love her in the most special way right up to her leaving this Earth. David said that everyone who saw her noticed that even in death she looked radiant. Of course, she would! That was Janet. She was looking at Jesus face to face. I can only imagine her now as she sings praises to her Lord without the barrier of this world. I can see her beautiful face as she raises her hands and radiates the love she has for Him. And I can almost hear Him saying, “You lived SO well! Good job, my precious daughter! I am proud of you!!”

Janet, I love you, and I will never forget you. I’ll worship with you again one day, my sweet friend!

This morning, Jia and I were finishing up the tree decorations, having a sweet time together. In her most precious little voice, she said (out of the blue), “Mommy, there are some words that four year-olds can’t say, right?”

“Right, Jia.”

“Like dammit and crap, right, Mom?”

“Yes, Jia, be sure not to say those words.”

“If you’re an adult, can you say dammit and crap?”

“Yes, Jia, but they still aren’t nice words.”

“Little kids shouldn’t say dammit and crap, Mom-mom.”

“Right, Jia. Please don’t tell your teacher that, though, or really anyone else either.” (Fear in my voice…..)

“Okay, Mom-mom, I won’t tell anyone that dammit and crap are adult words.”

“Thanks, Jia.”

I made it home early this morning after leaving Carrie’s house in San Jose at 4:40 a.m. I really didn’t sleep much last night so I’m pretty beat, but it is wonderful to be home. Carrie’s girls were absolutely gorgeous in the wedding, and the reception was a blast. I love Carrie’s extended family. In fact, I’m an honorary Psalmonds now! They were full of life and laughter and harassed each other just like I’m used to! Carrie and Dave were great, and I enjoyed seeing the few friends whom I saw. Over the next couple of days, I’ll write more, but I’m too tired to think right now. (Preview - What do you get when you combine an inexperienced “wedding coordinator,” a great party with teenagers’ over-indulging, and 17 people staying in one house????? Lots of wild stories!)

I loved San Jose when I lived there, but I am definitely a smaller town girl. This IS home, which feels great after two moves in 11 months. God has truly given me a peace about being here for the duration (unless He has other plans), and I’m thankful to have a place that feels like home again. It was wonderful to wrap my arms around Rowland’s neck at the airport. I didn’t want to let go! Jia didn’t want to let go of me when I came in the door, and Carson gave me a big hug and just kept telling me how much he missed me. William squeezed me so tightly it hurt, but I sure wasn’t going to tell him that! KeKe told me how much she missed me and held my hand all the way home from Spanish class! The dog’s still alive, although it looked like Rowland had tried to stick a wine cork in her butt. I do know that she didn’t “behave” very well while I was gone and that it was only his love for me that kept her around. The house looked great! All was in order, clean, and even the sheets had been changed. What an awesome family I have! IT’S GOOD TO BE HOME!!!!

Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas has gone off the deep end, and it really ticks me off! It ticks me off because, although they are not affiliated with any Baptist organization, they present themselves as Christians. These insane people attend soldiers’ funerals carrying signs that read, “Thank God for Dead Soldiers!” They attended the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Washington, D.C. carrying signs that said, “A Soldier Dies. God Laughs.” Members take their children to soldiers’ funerals, and their children carry these same signs. There are even pictures of their children standing on the American flag. More signs read, “God Hates Fags,” “God Hates the USA,” and “You’re Going to Hell.”

Why are they acting like this? They believe that God is punishing the United States for its liberal stance on homosexuality. And how is God punishing the U.S.? By having American soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan! They have several web addresses, two of which are www.godhatesfags.com and www.godhatesamerica.com. According to their webpage, www.westborobaptistchurch.com, they have conducted over 34,000 peaceful demonstrations to date “opposing the fag lifestyle of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth.” As a result of the negative press, “now, God’s america’s enemy, dashing your soldiers to pieces.”

If you’re interested in hearing “Fresh Bread from the WBC oven,” the latest sermons, you can go to their webpage. Look for the square that reads, “God Hates You,” and you’ll find the messages that I’m sure you’re dying to hear! Insanity!!!!!!!!! The blogs, news, articles, etc. on their site are enough to make you incredibly angry!! How can they go to places where people are trying to say good-bye to their fallen sons and daughters and be so horribly hateful? Where is Jesus’ compassion? Where are His arms and feet? They’re sure as H*** are not holding up those signs and stomping on the hearts of hurting people!!

This group initially made its name known when they demonstrated at Mathew Shepard’s funeral several years ago. He was the boy who was homosexual and was tied to a fencepost and beaten to death in Wyoming. They showed up carrying signs that said, “God Hates Fags” and “Fags Burn in Hell.” How many people at that funeral turned to Jesus in their time of pain as a result of this “Christian” outpouring of hate?

A father of a fallen soldier brought a lawsuit against several members of the group and won around $11 million. Now, the poor babies are crying to the judge that they don’t have the money to pay, and more lawsuits are around the corner. Maybe they ought to just pray to God for the money. If He’s really supporting them, and they’re following His lead, He’ll take care of this situation for them, too. If I were them, I wouldn’t be holding my breath, though!!!!!

I must be up for the “Field Trip Mom of the Year” award. I don’t know how many you have to (oops - “get to”) go on to win, but I’ve got to be close. Today, I went on a Parker History field trip with Kitty’s class. We took along a historian to take us to all of the historical places around town and give us the background as well. I was responsible for six precious angels in the class, and I really enjoyed the trip. Since we’re new to Parker, it was great to learn a little about the history.

KeKe, Payton, and Kristen

Of course, there are always a few minor “glitches” when I go on these field trips. Today, my “glitch” was a sweet little boy named Paul. Paul was very obedient, always wanted to sit with me and hold my hand when we walked, and never gave me a moment’s trouble. The only problem with Paul is that he is a LOT afraid of spiders, and the historian loved to mention spiders almost everywhere we visited. At the Hilltop Schoolhouse, some of the children were asking about the location of the bathroom. The historian pointed out the outhouse, and some of the children wanted to go inside to see it. She told them that they couldn’t go because of all of the spiders in the building, especially the black widows. I had no idea that Paul had a fear of spiders at that time, but I did notice that he started looking around quite a bit afterwards. In a few minutes, he raised his hand and pointed out a “gynormous” spider a few feet away from him under a cabinet. He was so afraid of the spider that no one else could locate that he had to move all the way across the room. Eventually, we discovered that the “spider” was actually the plug part of a vacuum cleaner in the cabinet.

A couple of stops later, we were in the 20 mile house, a stop 20 miles from Denver where people would get their mail and stay for the night or just rest for a while on their journeys. There was a ladder leading to an upstairs so some of the children asked if we could go up there. The historian explained that we couldn’t because…it was full of spiders! As we all stood in this tiny little room, Paul began to look around and discovered spider webs along the ceiling. He began to wig out wanting to get out of the building. I wrapped my arms around him and told him that I wouldn’t let any spiders get on him, but he just wanted out RIGHT THEN! Fortunately, it was time to move on, so he and I went outside, all the while wanting to punch out the historian!

The last stop of the day was a treat for all of us, a favorite for second graders across the world, a graveyard. I personally have never understood anyone’s interest in graveyards. Perhaps it’s a generational thing, but I just don’t have any desire to visit one. I don’t really care where Mr. Parker and his family are buried or where the rest of the founding fathers are buried. I definitely am not interested in seeing their tombstones. Kitty started getting a little sad as she began thinking about her Papa’s being buried in a graveyard in Stuttgart. I encouraged her by reminding her that only bones were in that ground, that people’s souls were not there. Precious Paul said that he needed to say a prayer as he passed the graves so that the people would be able to rest in peace. I told him to do whatever he felt like he needed to do (great pastor’s wife response, huh?). One of the little girls was sad for the families of all of the people who were buried there. It was a truly uplifting experience! Not!

The treat for the day happened at one of the headstones that read “Killed by the Indians.” Of course, one of the boys asked how the Indians killed the buried man. The “brilliant” historian told the second graders that he was scalped, then proceeded to give a detailed description of exactly what a scalping was. She began with the sharp knife to the person’s forehead and proceeded to the end of the scalping, at which point she informed the children that the people generally were still alive afterwards. I ran over to little Kitty and covered her eyes and ears, trying to ward off the nightmares that will surely come.

The day ended about 1:15 back at the school, and as I said before, it was a very interesting and informative trip. I think that the children learned a lot, and I know that I did. Some things I’m glad to know and some things I’d rather not have known. For example, did you know that prairie dogs carry a specific flea that wiped out half a town in Europe years ago? The historian told the children this fact as we were getting off of the bus in the middle of a prairie dog town! Perhaps we just needed a different historian, one with a little common sense!!!

The House in the Middle of Prairie Dog Town

On to my next field trip - this time to San Jose to visit my friend Carrie and watch her gorgeous daughter get married this weekend. Now, that’s a field trip that’s right up my alley!!!

Jia entered a four-year growth hormone study last Tuesday. She had to go back to the hospital for a day of testing, and she did great. The day started with a glucose tolerance test and a couple of tries at getting blood out of a vein. It was horrible!! Jia just put her blankie over her face and sobbed. If it had been me, I would’ve been screaming and kicking. They’d have had to hold me down to keep poking me like that! The last blood draw of the day, two hours later, went very well. She had her blankie over her face, and in the middle of the draw, she said, “Mommy, I’m not crying….” Guess who was crying then?

Her wrist x-ray went well, and the nurse ordered her meds from the pharmacy. After watching a video on giving shots with a cartridge pen, I had to jump in with both feet. I gave her the shot, and she didn’t even cry. The needle is tiny, and she has done great the last week. She gets a shot every night before bedtime, and as long as she has her blankie, she doesn’t even whimper.

Tonight, she reminded me as we were getting ready for bed that it was time for her “tall shot.” (She has told me a couple of times that she doesn’t really want to grow any taller - when she’s not wanting her shot!) Since it’s like old habit now, I got the needle out, cleaned the cartridge and her arm with alcohol, placed the needle on the end of the pen, and GAVE MYSELF A SHOT IN THE TIP OF MY FINGER!!!!! I haven’t a clue exactly how I did it, but I screamed, and my finger was bleeding. And I didn’t scream, “Ouch!” I did scream a four-letter word, though. The good news is that I’ve always wished I had long legs like my beautiful sister-in-law Danea. Maybe a little growth hormone….

My birthday was Friday, and I turned 42! That is so weird to me. Do I feel 42, though? Yes!!! Most of the time I am keenly aware of my age, especially when I’m still carrying Jia around. I had a wonderful day. I got my nails done first thing in the morning, then ran to Old Navy for a quick trip through the store. At noon, I met one of my “new” friends, Anita, for lunch at Carino’s. Three hours later, we were still sitting there running our mouths. What a fun, relaxing time!

After picking up Jia and taking a short nap, I got up to get ready to go to dinner with my precious husband. The kids and Rowland brought my birthday gift to me to open. There inside were the Coach shoes I had been lusting after for the last month! They are so freakin’ cute!!!! My husband had had the Coach store order them in my size to surprise me. That wasn’t the only surprise of the evening. In typical Rowland fashion, he is never to be outdone! We showed up at Maggiano’s and met most of my community group plus Amy and Grant and Anita (yes, she spent 6 hours eating with me on my birthday!). I was so surprised. It was great fun to celebrate with new and old friends. The food was wonderful, and the conversation was a lot of fun!

On Saturday, it was time to celebrate with the children. I had to “torture” them first by making them help me get the whole house clean. It was a real pit!! Finally, we finished and went to lunch at Red Robin, my choice. After a long nap (do you see a trend developing here?), Rowland and I went to see “Martian Boy” at the theater. What a great movie! It was very touching as well as thought-provoking, funny, and all-around entertaining. After a couple of bites of the best birthday cake I’ve ever eaten (it was like the ding dongs I used to get in trouble for eating when I was growing up), we called it a night and the end of a fabulous two-day birthday party!!

Rowland always makes my birthdays so special! The best gift was what he wrote on his blog. He wrote: “Happy birthday to my best friend, my confidante, my girlfriend, my prize, my trophy, my helpmate, my accountability, my safe place, my heartthrob, my kids’ mom, my wife….and the most beautiful person I know. You’re a treasure!” Right back at you, my angel!!!

Monday, Jia and I took off for my 110th visit to a pumpkin patch! Honestly, I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve been to a pumpkin patch. I would say that in the last 12 1/2 years, I’ve been to a pumpkin patch at least 7 of those years, maybe more. This was a unique visit, though. We did go to a working farm, only they don’t grow pumpkins. As we entered the “pumpkin patch,” it was an area with pumpkins spread out all over the ground, not growing from the ground. Evidently, Colorado doesn’t have a long enough growing season for pumpkins. The lady who hosted us at her farm purchased pumpkins from a store and spread them out for the children to search for their prize pumpkins. Interesting…..

The kids had a blast, though, and don’t really know the difference anyway, I suppose. Afterwards, there was a wonderful area set up for them to decorate their pumpkins with awesome foam stickers and paint pens. Rice krispy treats and juice topped off their morning. Jia and I had a great time, and I’m hoping that I won’t be making too many more pumpkin patch field trips until my children start having children of their own!!

Jia with Her Freshly Picked Pumpkin

Jia’s Class

Jia Decorating Her Pumpkin

Yesterday, I laid in bed with my two girls cuddled up to me having some sweet mommy time. Since the three oldest were staying home from school because of Halloween parties (yes, we’re weird - we don’t celebrate Halloween), we had some extra time to snuggle. I was asking each of the girls what they would like for Christmas, and they were excitedly coming up with ideas for me. We were giggling and having a good time. Then, it happened! Kitty reached over to hold my hand, and as I was holding her hand, Jia reached over to remove Kitty’s hand so that she could hold my hand. In a matter of seconds, we went from a happy family to major division. Kitty kept explaining to Jia that I was her mommy, too. Of course, she would have died before letting go of my hand as she explained this fact to her little sister. I told Jia that I could hold both of their hands, but she would have none of it. She proceeded to show me with her body language just how unhappy she was to have to share her mommy with her big sister.

A little later in the morning, little Kitty and I took Jia to school. She was in a program during chapel that I wanted to see. Since we were early, Kitty and I found a seat and watched the preschoolers practice. Jia was so animated as she sang and did all of the motions that went with the songs. She smiled and waved at me and posed for picture after picture.

Jia Posing for the Camera During Practice

About halfway through the service before Jia had sung, Jia noticed that little Kitty was lying over on my shoulder and that I had my arms around her. Jia immediately changed. All of a sudden, she was no longer the happy little performer. Once again, her body language made it very clear that she was unhappy that I was holding her sister instead of her. She didn’t sing or do any of the hand motions. Her teacher kept encouraging her, not having a clue as to what had happened. Still, my little stubborn princess wouldn’t perform. Ahhhh…..little girls!! The rivalry has already begun!!

Jia “Wearing” Her Feelings