Shelob's Web

The concept was all Carter...J. did the artwork. Ah! The magic of photoshop! Hilarious!

A Boy's Ambitions

Beefy is my sweetest hearted boy. He has such a spirit of compassion about him. He loves animals and is so thoughtful of others. He really adores Monkeys. We just went to the LA ZOO this week. He loved it. In school he's been studying Africa and reading about the rainforests in Central America. We just went to the library and he got all books on monkeys.

So the other night I was putting him to bed and he said to me, "When I grow up I want to protect the monkeys and save the rainforest."

How sweet is that? My little activist! I love it!!!!

Whatta Day!

I spent today repainting Beefy and Sofa's room. My poor little guy has been sleeping in a girlie lavender room for over a year now. Poor thing...He does have his Superman sheets, but I have felt bad for too long. ANd never once has he complained.

So we went to Home Depot yesterday and I actually let THEM pick out their own colors...SO we are talking B-R-I-G-H-T!!! Pink and Blue. BRIGHT PINK & BRIGHT BLUE! Oh well...not what I planned, but they love it. Mission accomplished. Ethan has blue walls and feels more "boyish". I did a funky thing around the windows and actually their room looks pretty "Art Deco"...It's cool I guess, if you like Art Deco...Whatever...it's not "baby Girl Purple" anymore, so I am happy for my little guy. It was a good day!

Great news outta Omaha tonight! We are so excited!!!

Jesus is a Liar???

This morning J. was out working in the basement and we had gone in the back room to look at something. Sofa was in the playroom listening to the CD J. put on. It was like, 5-year-old praise music. You know that cheese-ball song "I Found Jesus"? Well that's what was on...the words are something like "I feel like dancing in the street, 'Cause Jesus is alive...blah, blah, blah, blah, 'Cause Jesus is alive." On and on until "And the best thing that happened was the day I met You. I Found Jesus." Something like that...I never much cared for that particular song...

Anyway, we walked in the room and Soph askes, "Why are they saying Jesus is a Liar?" "What?" It threw me...I had NO IDEA what she was talkign about...I thought it was something stupid she heard her brothers say...then J. realized it was the song...

NO, BABY! Jesus isn't a LIAR...Jesus is ALIVE! BIG DIFFERENCE...especially to a four-year-old.

She was quite relieved. Can you imagine what went through her head? Poor little thing! I guess that's what happens when you slur your praise songs with a british accent!

She is doing fine tonight...adn I believe her faith is secure!

Funny.

Charlotte's Web

We took the kids to see Charlotte's Web this morning. Going before noon meant tickets were only $6. (Score!) It was a great time. Very cute movie. We just finished having read the book...so it was great to hear all of them talking about the parts they liked the most in the book and then in the movie.

It's starting off to be a good Christmas Vacation. More fun tomorrow...

Perks!

Jay took the older boys to a concert last night because he got free tickets from work. They went to see the Brian Setzer Orchestra at Universal Citywalk's Gibson Theater. And since he was "with the Label" they got backstage passes and third row seats. How cool is that?

People kept talking because they wondered who the guy was that brought his kids...apparently they were one of a few kids at the concert and the only ones with Backstage Passes.

Too Funny!

They had a blast with daddy...but were tired pups when they got home.

I was feeling a terrible cold comin' on...so I stayed home with Beefy.

Great night all around.

Day at Disney

I took the kids to Disneyland yesterday and scrapped school. It was a total blast and I really had such a great time with all of them. It was so good to take off the "teacher" hat and put on the "fun mom" hat.

Oh...and it didn't hurt that it only took 45 minutes to get there and 42 to get home...oh...and did I mention NO LINES????!!!!

We have made contact...

Today marks the second day we have made contact with the neighbor kids. Actually, the kids were all just too young to care to play before and then just a few weeks ago this huge bush/tree thing that separates our view of each others houses was trimmed.

So now the girls climb up and sit on the 7ft. wall and just shout back and forth to my boys who like to play Lord of the Rings or pirates or just beat each other up in our backyard "Rock Garden".

It is really sweet...but I just have bad flashes of puberty and more things to come...Holy crap....my kids are growing up.

I Just Learned Something....

...I am really NO good at a plunger.

...Oh...

and I'm sure my four-year-old putting half a roll of toilet paper down the potty doesn't help either. I'm fairly egalitarian...but when it comes to the plunger, I'd be more than happy to call that the "Man's Role".

Oi-vey!

Honey, what time ya comin' home????

Quote of the Day:

Apparently the word of the year for 2006 is ... "truthiness." It was coined by comedian, Stephen Colbert. He says, (which I find hilarious):

"Though I'm no fan of reference books and their fact-based agendas, I am a fan of anyone who chooses to honor me," he said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Too funny. Here's to all of the "End of the Year" crap!

Heifer International

So since we have had a transistion in our church situation we decided this go around into deviding up our tithe and giving part to the local church and part to the global Church or other organizations that are actually working to end poverty, help impoverished people, or just loving people globally and helping them because they are just as important and just as special as the rest of us.

Just researching opportunities and giving a small amount of ourselves has been so rewarding, for us, and for our kids.

In the summer we started sponsoring a little Tanzanian girl named Rehema. She is so cute and about the age of our little girl. She sends us pictures of hens and gourds that she colored. It just a great way for our kids to connect and think beyond our little neighborhood in Los Angeles.

So this past month we chose another GREAT organization. Heifer International. We gave the gift to some needy families of a goat, a sheep and a basket of chickens. That seems so foreign to our little urban family...but what a gift. And what a mission to be involved in something so much greater than ourselves.

At some point, (maybe when the kids are a little older) I would love to sell all we have and go dig wells in Africa, or just love on people in villages and help train them to work, or plant gardens, be human aid workers, or whatever. Our heart for our family is not to build a big fat nest egg, or store up our own possesions. But to some day say, screw the American lifestyle and give it up to go make a real difference in the world. (What a lesson and legacy we could bless our children with - that is a real ministry!) And not to bash anyone over the head with a Bible...but simply to love the unlovable and BE Incarnate Love to others. Uh...to have the balls to actually do it someday...that's my dream.

So it being the season of "End of the year giving"...how much are you willing to bless other nations, and hurting people of the world and not just the floor under your own Christmas tree?

Great Week

Well, I just got off a great week. SO good...so good to be back together again with F.P.N and the Bean. It was just a great week of friendship, fun and a LOT of laughter...It's funny how HILARIOUS your bad life situations seem after you get some distance and perspective.

So good to be in SUCH a better place now. With HOPE for the future...

What a great week.

(I'm still trying to grab a moment to tell the elongated Thanksgiving pee story!...It will come I promise!)

Welcome ONE

I just realized I made the "Blogs Supporting One" list at ONE.

Today we are urging Members of Congress to renew the crucial "third-country fabric" provision of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Let your voice be heard and join in the fight to end extreme poverty.

Sign the Declaration

Bear with me

...I've been meaning to write...but with the broken foot, the bad back that goes with the broken foot, the homeschooling and the holidays...I've been...well...busy.

But I do have a funny Thanksgiving story about a cup of coffee and some pee...a whole LOT of pee...

So good stuff is coming...just you wait!

Oh...and we have FRIENDS!!!!! back in town this week...Yipee!

So, again...busy!