Here are a couple of pictures from our family photo shoot with DeAnna on Saturday.

A Picture that just melts me

Please pray for Matani Shakya

Please pray for Matani Shakya. She is a 3 year old girl that lives in Nepal. She was just tested and approved to be the new "Kumari" or living goddess. The testing included seeing if she had perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect eyes, with out any scars on her body, and lives without any fear of the dark. To prove that she is not afraid of the dark she had to sleep in a room alone with the heads of ritually slaughtered goats and buffalo. Now that she is approved she will live in almost total isolation in a temple with out her parents only to have people come in and bow at her feet and place their foreheads on her feet. Until the time she starts to menstruate and then she is sent home to most likely never marry because of Nepalese folklore states that any man that marries a former Kumari will die young (not to mention the irreversible damage done to a child being completely isolated without her family) I read this and just felt lead to ask people to pray for her. She is 3 years old for goodness sake!!! To also pray for the continued work that is happening in Nepal to increase the rights of children

Pray for Dede and Ray

Hi Friends
I am sending out a prayer request via blogspot for my dear friend Dede and her awesome husband Ray. Dede is off to Iraq for at least six months. She would love prayers that she can survive without her husband for six months. I am going to pray for that but also for her safety where she is. If you would join me in prayers for her I would appreciate it. If you are interested in checking out her blog feel free to check it out http://agirlinthesandbox.blogspot.com/

A funny little something from my boy

Well this might be a post that is way to much information but I found it hilarious. Tonight Tommy and I were eating dinner and we had the boob tube on while eating (I know I know thats terrible but whatever) at least we were watching an educational show. We were watching something on the Discovery Channel. It was a show about this tribe in Australia. They were not wearing any clothes. That did not bother Tommy at all because he has absolutely no issue with nudity at all (in fact he was naked twice at church today ok a story for another time) so on this show they showed the breasts of the women in the tribe and even some of the fronts but for whatever reason they blocked out their bums shal we say ( not a black out of the bum but just shaded are you following me here? so the butts kind of blended in). Tommy had several questions about these people. He asked why do they have bones coming out of their faces? Why do they talk funny? and Why do they eat monkeys? Well then he got quiet and I am always a little nervous when he gets quiet. Then a few minutes later he said "Momma how come they don't go pee pee and poo poo" I said "Well they do they are just not showing it right now" Then he responded with, " Well it must come out of somewhere else because they don't have poo poo holes" He thought that they didn't have them because the shading that the network did you could not see the whole bum. I thought it was hilarious. Then when I explained to him that it was just the TV that had their bottoms shaded he responded with "I think we need to get a new TV momma like the one my Uncle Johnny has (big screen) I am sure he can see their butts at their house" hahahahahahahaha. I am sure when I tell Tony this is will be a ploy for getting a big screen. Maybe I will let Tony find this story if he ever reads my blog hahahahha

What Tommy loves about today

These are some things Tommy said about what he loves today

1. "Helping You Momma"

2. "Playing with Ty."

3. "I loved my cheeseburger"

4. "I love my new toy"

5. "I loved the place that we goed that was Rose and Eric's bible store because I love the place that you watch movies and play"

6. "I love the book that momma read today that she bought at the Rose and Eric bible store"

7. "I likedted the french fries too from my cheeseburger"

Here is Tommy's song that he wanted me to post here
" If you know what's inside, really really really you will know what I love so much. Look look look but don't touch but you will know I want it so much. and you know whats inside but don't open it up you wil lknow I want it so much because it is not for you. What can you do with what God put inside but don't be so blue blue." (man I wish I was recording this instead of just the words, it is hilarious how he is singing it, you will just have to imagine).

What I Love About Today

I have been feeling a bit down in the dumps lately. I have personally known four people over the last three weeks or so that have died. All four of these people were under 35 years of age and it was separate incidents. My heart has been sad. So I have been trying to think of some things that I love about today so here goes

What I love about today

1. Tommy saying "Momma I had the best sleep last night"
2. Talking to an old friend Patti and hearing her say I am sorry for what you are going through and I am here for you.
3. Being completely honest with another human being
4. Ty Kubicek saying "Um excuse me Miss Kristina but I love you"
5. Hearing four children exchange " I love you's" without any prompting
6. Watching four children totally submerge themselves in shaving cream (well it was three children Ty thought we were nuts for doing it)
7. Waking up with a man that wants nothing more than a kiss goodmorning from me (even if I am a total crank)
8. I live in a happy home that is filled with God
9. That I have relationships today that are not based on what I can get out of them but instead what I can contribute (little did I know that when it comes from that I get so so so much in return)
10. I have a job that I feel good about
11. That I love so much about today and it is only 1:43 in the afternoon

I hope that those that are reading this will share with me somethings that they love about their day.

Thank you for your prayers

We are happy to report that Tommy is doing much much better when it comes to his night terrors. He has not had one in over a week now. We changed his nighttime routine around and he says a prayer each night that includes asking God to help remind him that he is always protected by him. So far that is doing the trick he has also lost most of his fear of falling asleep. He asks for music when he sleeps so he can think of his happy thoughts when he goes to sleep. We just wanted to say thank you for the prayers and concerns from everyone. We feel so blessed to have so many of you praying for us. Prayer is so Awesome!!

Feeling Sad

I know I know it has been a long time since I posted. I sincerely think that this will be the start of just about every post. Anyway, I will start with saying I am tired so please forgive me for any typo's and such. Our boy is having night terrors. I am so so sad that he seemed to inherit this from me. I remember so vividly what it felt like to wake up in the middle of the night simply terrified and having my parents come in and then they would leave to go back to bed while I sat and tried to figure out how I could get them to come back in the room to make me feel safe without getting in trouble. My mom said I asked for water ALOT.
Tommy is saying things like "Momma I am afraid to go back to sleep because some of the bad stuff will happen again" or "Momma I want to be in a room where you can see me" so I am torn between should I let him come to bed with us and risk starting a habit I swore I would never start but running the risk of terrifying my son if I don't help him work through this by feeling safe???? Darcy gave me a website to check out that was helpful but also a bit scary. My parents had to install locks that were high up on the doors so I would not escape when I was a child. My mom said she did once catch me going out the door (which of course is what made the high lock decision for them). Is that in my future with my son? It is all so sad to me. I feel somewhat responsible for passing this on to him. I know that is silly but it is truthfully how I feel. He wakes up to a full on scream that seriously makes you think in our own sleep that someone is killing or trying to steal my son out of his room. So Tony and I are left exhausted during the day. Tonight he was crying before going to bed of fear that he would have a night of the "bad stuff happening" So here I am asking for your prayers. Prayers for peaceful sleep for our boy. Prayer for mine and Tony's continued patience and compassion during what hopefully will just be a temporary condition that comes and goes quickly. Things I have tried so far are quiet time before bed, music in his room, letting him sleep on the floor in our room, laying with him for awhile talking about happy things. If you have any other suggestions I would love to hear them. Tommy has had nightmares in the past but nothing like what we are experiencing now.

Our Friend Drew

This morning our four year old friend Drew is having his third open heart surgery. He went in for surgery at 8:30 this morning and the doctor was scheduled to begin around 9:30 or 10:00 which is right now actually. We together as a family are just praying for smooth sailing. So far everything has gone as smooth as it possibly can. Drew was able to do his CT scan without any anesthisia (ok I don't know how to spell that) he was also a very brave boy going back to the operating room without any tears. He is a pro at this point. For those of you that don't know Drew and his family, he is an amazing little boy who loves dinosaurs. He has a very spirited funny 2 year old sister Ava and his parents, oh my goodness his parents are the most amazing couple I know. They are full of faith and truth and honesty about this journey God has chosen for them. They show me what it is like to truly have faith. I am just asking all of you to pray for them this morning and continue to all day. If you want to check out their blog it is http://himmelberger.blogspot.com . Surgery is suppose to go until 3 or so today. Please keep them in your prayers

Isn't it too early for this??

Ok so tonight it happened!! The question I knew would come but definately thought it would come way down the road. I also owe it all to channel flipping. This is precisely why I DVR everything and do not watch commercials. A commercial came on and in the commercial someone used the word sex. Well of course Tommy says to Tony and I "What is sex?" I look at Tony he gets up and leaves the room and promptly says "Ask your mother (the punk)" So then I say "Maybe daddy didn't hear the question so go ask him" So he runs back to our room shouting at the top of his lungs "SEX SEX SEX daddy what is SEX?" The sound out of his mouth oh it took every fiber of being not to yell out "Tommy Tommy you are going to give your momma a heart attack don't ever say that word again" Of course creating shame and then even making the word more tantalizing for him. I am a firm believer that you should not lie to your kids and when they ask a question you should answer it honestly. I have had many questions from my way to big for his britches boy like "What happens when you die? When will I die? Can we all die at the same time? Why do we poop? Why don't you have a penis? I can handle all of those questions but the sex one floored me a bit. So anyway, I sent my boy back to his daddy thinking that surely this is a question daddy can take on. Well no not exactly daddy said "That is a great question for your momma, she loves these kinds of conversations with you. So my son comes skipping down the hallway saying "Momma you get to tell me what sex is" Ok so I tell him "Tommy sex is something that two adult people do together when they have been in love for a very very long time, it is also the way God lets us make babies" So he looks at me a little puzzled and then I said to him "Now why don't you go tell daddy what sex is" You see I am very curious as to how it will translate for him. So he runs back and says "Daddy guess what sex is? Sex is when two people stick together and it is because of love and then God gives you a baby". I love it did I say I thought it was a good idea to be honest with our kids? Oh and then the last thing he said (and I have no idea where he heard this) "Momma another good word is SEXY SEXY SEXY (shouting it of course)" I said "Buddy where did you hear that word and he said "it is just a word that I think is funnier than just plain old sex. " I gracefully redirected him from that and we started talking about his day tomorrow with his Poppy (which I am sure he will be sharing with my father what he learned about sex GREAT) While he was yammering on about what he was going to do with Poppy I had this flash forward thought of me getting to have all those fun talks because Tony "knows" how much I love them. One more time who said it was a good idea to be honest with your kid? I think the little birds and the bees story may not be so bad afterall. Pray for me will ya

Tommy the deep thinker!!

I know, I know it has been a really long time. I figured since our friend Todd finally posted that it was about time that I do the same.

Here is a sweet little story from our deep thinker Tommy. The other night we were driving in the car and Tommy was very quiet in the car (which is VERY rare). After some quiet time he said "Momma, when I go to bed tonight I am going to pray to God that you, me and daddy die at the same time." Tony and I looked at each other a bit stunned. Tony asked him why he was going to pray for that and he replied "I don't want to be on this planet all by myself."
He is such a deep thinker. He has recently had many questions about death and where he will live when he grows up. In fact he fell apart recently when I told him that when he is 18 he moves out and gets his own house. He kept crying and saying "But Momma I am always going to live with you." I finally had to tell him that he could live with us as long as he wanted.
He is also VERY eager for another baby. I think he is more eager than I am actually. He asks everyday when we will have a baby and he is constantly making her gifts (he calls her a her, I love that because I want a her so bad I can taste it!!).
The wedding plans are coming along. I am enjoying every minute of it. I finally got my dress on Tuesday and I put it on again of Friday night for my maid of honor and I still love it so it is a good sign.
My preschool is going well. I am happy to have two new students. Molly Van Reisen comes one morning a week and Ty Kubicek comes two to three days a week. They both are a welcome addition.
Our most recent news is we have had a very tragic death in the family on Wednesday February 20th. It will be a day that I will never be able to forget. He was in our family for almost 20 years. He was a constant companion to Tony and I am just not sure how to walk through this with him. I will definately need your prayers. Although he was hot when you wanted him cold and cold when you wanted him hot and he was also known to disappear without letting us know from time to time we loved him just as he was. We do know that he is in a better place now where all old Nissan pick ups go when they have taken there last putt putt down the highway. Tony's truck has died!! Funeral information to come. We replaced him on Friday with a White Chrysler Town and Country Mini-Van. AHHHHHHH WE ARE MINI VAN DRIVERS!! There is nothing Rock-n-Roll about a mini van. We will have to dress her up with some cool stickers or something, and maybe transfer the old "Ebba" license plate in memory of the old truck. Prayers will be appreciated to get us through this difficult time.