My Heart is FULL!

BEST DAY EVER. I love Thanksgiving... and yesterday was the best one yet! The day got out to a great start when I heard a knock on my door about 9:30. Standing on my porch with a bouquet of flowers was my SISTER!!! I went ballistic. She flew in from the Dominican the night before to surprise us - and it was SO worth it! I was so shocked and ineffably happy. We had all been saying what a neat Thanksgiving this would be - celebrating in our "nearly burned" house with TWO brand spankin' new babies... all we were missing was Rebekah. So her arrival made the day absolutely perfect. The WHOLE family was together - all 5 of us kids, spouses, and all 13 nieces and nephews. Plus my grandparents, Aaron's in-laws, and Alice's mom! That alone is something to celebrate! It was crazy, kids were running around everywhere, we were constantly checking outside to make sure no one "escaped", and we were wall-to-wall pack-n-plays, toys, and highchairs. And it was great! The kids played together so well - Ezekiel woke up from his nap saying "play with cousins?" - they all had the best time together. In addition to this day from heaven, here are a few things I am especially thankful for this year:

• My new baby girl. This was Bekah Jane's first Thanksgiving and I am so grateful for her in my life. She is starting to say "bye-bye" when she waves, and it just warms my heart to hear her little voice. She is an absolute JOY... still can't believe I have a daughter.
• How unbelievably cute my kids are when they play together. Ezekiel laughed with joy the first time he saw his sister, and has not stopped adoring her since! Kevan and I don't take their special relationship for granted and can't get over how fun they are to watch interact. This morning when Ezekiel woke up he came right over to Bekah Jane sitting in my lap. He stretched his arms out wide and said "C'mere baby!!". Love it.
• The Bible study I started attending in September. Since becoming a mom, I've had a hard time digging into the word and I'm so grateful for this study to give me direction and accountability. It is challenging me to acknowlege the "lies" I've been living and to replace them with Biblical truths. I love studying the truth of God's word and learning how to apply it to my life. It is absolutely changing the way I live for God.
• My amazing friends. Wow, am I blessed in this category. This has been a year of deep growth with my friends and I am thankful for each girl and the unique richness she adds to my life. No matter what season of life I'm in, each of my girlfriends meets the needs of my heart in their own special way. Beautiful women, beautiful friendships.
• My awesome husband. Example of the day: I came home from work Monday night sick as a dog. Yep, the flu. Kevan quickly ushered me to bed, took care of the kids, got the house picked up and cleaned, and kept checking on me to offer a back rub or bring me 7-up. When I told him "Thank you - you are amazing" he said with a smile "You're worth it. How 'bout that?" Oh, I feel loved.

Wow, I'm in a good mood. How could you not be after a list like that? I hope you all had a blessed and memorable Thanksgiving! Praise be to God for his abundant blessings in our lives.

Beauty from ashes.

Last weekend my parent's house - my childhood home - nearly burnt to the ground. Fire raged through the canyons and ravaged homes up and down their street. We watched the news in horror as it showed the house right next door - consumed by an unstoppable fire. All through the night, in a "Little House on the Prairie"-type display of family, community, and heroism, my husband, brother, cousin, uncle, and men from our church fought off the fires that threatened to take the home we love. When the ashes settled, we surveyed the damage: Much of the landscape had burned, the horse stables melted, the sprinkler systems destroyed, and a good portion of the ranch house my parents built for missionaries home on furlough had gone up in flames - along with some family pictures and all of our Christmas decorations. And, as sad as that sounds, we realize that it is nothing - nothing - compared to what could have been.

This has been a week of perspective. Gratitude. Rejoicing. Beauty from ashes. As I reflect back on the events that unfolded, I am struck not by what we lost, but rather by what we gained through this experience.

• A renewed awareness of God's faithfulness to answer prayer. As Kevan and Matthew frantically ran through the house trying to save whatever they could and the fire grew closer to the property, they knew there was very little chance the house would be spared. Kevan told my dad (visiting my sister in the Dominican) over the phone, "Your house will be gone unless God sends his angels." When you see the property now, there is a stark contrast between the ash and ruin and the vibrant green lawn surrounding my parents' home. It literally looks like a band of angels surrounded their home and stopped the fire from spreading.
  
• A deep thankfulness for God's hand of protection over those we love. I suppose some would question the wisdom of their decision to fight off the fires. But I married a man who is wired to protect, to defend, and to fight for what he loves. And by brother was raised the some way. So that is what they did, and the Lord answered our fervent prayers to protect them. And, because of them, our family home was spared. They put out a fire that caught on the roof of the main house, and saved the ranch house from burning completely. Kevan tells me that he never felt like his life was really at risk ("It was under control, babe"), but I know God had His hand on them the entire time.
  
• A beautiful picture of self-sacrifice. For nearly 12 hours, a team of men sacrificed sleep and their own safety to extinguish fires as they continued to pop up all over the property. These are men that have their own families, their own agendas, and had already worked hard that day. Yet, at a moment's notice, they dropped what they were doing and selflessly served at a time of great need. And countless others volunteered to come. It was truly awesome.


• Evidence of God's providence. There are just too many things to mention, but God had his hand in this experience long before we even knew it would happen. For starters: The only way Kevan was able to get to the house - and bring in the team of men - was because he was dressed in his uniform and had his badge. When he left the house to go "check" on mom and dad's place he had the foresight to go in full uniform and bring his gear. Sure came in handy. And another: When the sprinkler system melted, the pipes burst in such a way that the water sprayed exactly where a fire popped up. The broken sprinklers helped put out a fire! The stories go on and on.


• A new appreciation for the Thanksgiving table we are about to gather around. Countless birthdays, Christmases, and Thanksgivings have been celebrated around our endlessly long dining room table. It is the place we gather to celebrate, to grieve, and to just be together. And the Lord has granted us one more year around the table - as a family and in the home that we all love.

While the Lord spared us from tragedy, we realize that many people have suffered greatly at the hands of the fire. We continue to pray for our neighbors, Ted and Bridgette, and the many others who lost everything. We pray that God would be real and evident to all walking through this tragedy. Because, whether he gives or takes away, He is God and He is good beyond measure.

This little sign hangs on mom and dad's wall surrounded by family photos. I think the Lord heard our prayer!

The next morning: An exhausted but happy Matthew and Kevan

The attic stairs in the ranch house... you can see sunlight coming through the burned roof.



The guest room in the ranch house

The ceiling in the guest room

The next-door neighbor's place


The contrast. Green grass next to ruins.

Bad Mama!

Yesterday Ezekiel was super whiny. I mean, really annoying. I think it's cute when he's says "hold you?" - but it gets really un-cute about the 22nd time in a row. All he wanted to do was sit and have me hold him. Which would have been ok, except that he really wasn't even happy then (and, truth be told, I had about a million things I was trying to get done yesterday morning). I kept trying to suggest a toy or book that would hold his attention...nothing. Not even Elmo. Well, that should have tipped me off right there but, no, I was still too dense. So, when Kevan got home from football and I told him I was at my wit's end, my sweet husband suggested he take Ezekiel out for some father-son bonding. And, just as he got him loaded into the car and strapped into the carseat... Ezekiel threw up. Everywhere. Bad. Smelly. Grown-up style. And I had two thoughts: "Ohhh, that's what's wrong with him!" and, then, "Wow, I suck." Poor kid had spent the whole morning with a tummy ache and didn't get an ounce of compassion from his mama...actually he mostly just got reprimanded. What's funny, though, is that here I'd spent the day worrying that my tough kid had turned into a big fat whiner. And, it turns out, he was really just being tough all along. He never once said to me anything indicating that he was sick (not a "tummy" or "hurt"... nothing) - I think he was practicing mind over matter (just like his mama - so proud.) Lesson learned: If my kid is acting weird, something is wrong! He needs a big hug and an even bigger bowl...and definitely not a car ride!

Beautiful baby...

A sweet shot of our Bekah Jane at a birthday party last weekend. (Click to enlarge... it's worth it.)

Funny Boy

Just sharing some of the funny things Ezekiel's been doing lately. The kid makes me laugh:

• Eating everything like cookie monster - even his peas. He double fists them, shoving them in his mouth saying "Cookie! YUM YUM YUM YUM!" (I know this is not the greatest table manners, but he's two and it's hilarious. I'm willing to let it slide for a while.) The other day I caught him eating grass this way.
• Standing on his head (like he's about to do a somersault). The preferred way to see the world. He does it all the time and in very random places! Last week he stood on his head in the waiting room of the doctor's office... you know, just passing time.
• Saying "Excuse me, Elway." Elway is in his way a lot, I guess.
• Copying Kevan while he watches the football game: "Go go go go....OOOHHHH!" and throwing his hands over his head (yeah, Kevan has to watch what he says during football!)

More to come, I'm sure. I love that funny boy.

Halloween at our House

Kind of a cool shot of how the front of the house looked on Halloween night

My little balerina wan't feeling so great that night, but she sure looked cute!

Bekah Jane with Uncle Robert

Pumpkin carving with daddy!

Boo Fest!

Our 4th Annual Boo Fest was a gigantic success... my favorite yet, I think (just wish Kris and Ryan could make it!). We had SO MANY kids there this year, and it was such fun to see them all in their adorable little costumes, munching on candy apples, and starring wide-eyed at the never-gets-old Charlie Brown Halloween movie. When we first started this little tradition, hardly anyone had kiddos, and now we are all multiplying! I love that it is all about the kids now. So fun.

My sweet little lady bug





How cute is that little tiger?! (Don't be fooled, it's really just Caden.)

Kate the little cow snuggling with her mama

Bekah Jane and Jaclynn complimenting Matthew on his super cute Halloween outfit


Pumpkin carving time!

Snuggling in to watch the movie

Aren't these two hilarious?! They are so cute together!

You may have noticed an obvious lack of pictures of Ezekiel in his costume. Unfortunately, while he thinks his "neigh" costume is totally fun to play with, he has zero interest in wearing it. We didn't have any luck getting him to wear it on Halloween night, either, but he had a blast galloping around anyway! Oh, well. =)

I'm back! I'm back!

Wow, this week has been a technological nightmare at our house! Our computer completely crashed (yay for backing up pictures at Costco!) and our internet went down. Suffice it to say, I am so happy to be back online and in blogger world again! I missed you guys. =)

Computer is fixed, both kids are napping, and hopefully I can get some cute Halloween pictures posted! Ahhhh....it's good to be back.