From Ocean to Ocean

Yesterday I had a moment to sit on the beach without kids and watch the waves roll in as the sun was going down. It was a brief moment because Tom had taken the kids up the cliff for a hiking adventure. My legs were sore from a sunburn and tired. I sat on the sand mound with the ocean roaring and I heard God speaking directly to me. Such a soft voice to be heard but He was reminding me that 8 years ago I was on the other side of the United States sitting by myself at the Atlantic Ocean needing Him desperately after enduring some hardships. There on the Virginia beach He spoke clear to my heart. He told me how much greater He was than the ocean and definitely greater than my circumstances. My situation definitely improved for I met Tom and we got married. Now we have 3 beautiful children with one more son on the way. This year however has been rough. Some how I found myself back at the same spot I was 8 years ago, hurting and not sure if things would improve. But God in that special way that He pays attention to even the smallest details of my life arranged for such a moment as that one. Sitting there now on the Pacific Ocean by myself needing Him. He knew my time with Him would be interrupted soon so me spoke clearly about His love for me. Yet inspite of that I was finding it hard to let my heart trust Him. I knew that in all circumstances we are supposed to praise Him but my spiritual voice was missing. Tom and the kids returned and I sat there trying to be content that God had spoken to me and sighed. The kids being their usual selves became a huge distraction before long. Tom sat down beside me hand smiled. Maylee ran to the ocean with her stick to write in the sand. Tom followed and I just assumed he was going to help Maylee write everyone's name. Instead he wrote, "I love you". Which was quickly washed away by the ocean but forever written on my heart. I needed at that moment for him to be expressive toward me that way. He insisted that we sit back down together with the kids and watch the sun set. So we did, of course Lilly cried and Aiden threw sand and Maylee rambled on about something we could not understand but we watched and praised God inspite of the distractions. As the sun settled behind the earth God whispered I love You. He reminded me that marriage is for that very thing. When one half of the two He has joined together is weak the other can reach out and praise the Lord for them both. At that moment I felt two relationships were renewed. I love you Lord. I love you Angel. Happy 7 year anniversary!!!! With you both from Ocean to Ocean or anywhere!

We played all day at the beach for Memorial Day. It was fun. Sandcastles, sunscreen, sleep and smiles.

Strawberrys, Shells and Sand

Today was an amazingly fun day. We went to the beach and hiked down the cliff to the rocky shore and collected rocks and shells. We found some many different varities of shells and stones. The kids actually surprised us by climbing all over the sandy cliffs exploring the crevices. Maylee discovered a bench up on one of the cliffs. We climbed up and rested a little while soaking in the view. It was nice to sit as a family and watch peace roll in like the waves. It was short lived peace because kids don't rest long. They had so much fun that they forgot that it was lunch time. We didn't eat until we got home about 1:oo, which is late for my kids. Then rested at home for a couple of hours. After naps we decided to go out to the strawberry fields (which are pretty popular here). It is a place were you pay and pick as much as you can get in a bucket. The kids of course were picking and eating. Tom and I forced some down too (ha! Ha!). We had so much fun finding the biggest and most red strawberrys we could.

When we were done we carried our loot to the car and set out for some dinner. We enjoy burgers from IN-N-Out burgers. What did we decide to do then with all the daylight we had left. The beach. We went to a different part and of course looked for more shells and tried not to get wet but of course we failed. After taking a long stroll down the beach leaving a trail of kids shoes along the way, we found some amazing shells then decided to walk back and enjoy the sunset. The kids were completely exhausted. Aiden's feet were black from the sand so I took him down to the ocean at the end of the day to wash. Just as I set him down a kids rubber ball rolled right up between his feet. He was so excited. I told him it was a surprise from God. TO me though the whole day was a gift from God.

Inner Beauty

Tom has always had a deep love for minerals (rocks), not just the ones that first pop into your head like sandstones or decorative rocks. I am talking about beautiful stones of color like emeralds, tourmalines, rubies and such. When I first started looking closely at the uniqueness each of these different minerals at a gem and mineral show we had attended I could not help but be over whelmed with the thought that this came from the inner earth. God created the earth for us, with us in mind. Every inch of this earth is for our needs and pleasure. God speaks probably the loudest to me through nature. So loud and clear came the thought that not only did God make this earth with a most amazingly beautiful outside (the trees, canyons, mountains and much more) but he also went so far as to make even the inside of the earth beautiful. So if He cares about the outside and the inside of the earth of course He cares about the outside and inside of us.

So let me stretch this analogy even farther. The worldy folks tend to focus on the outside of themselves, striving to be physically beautiful and well maintained. It is only those that allow God to dig deep down inside of them, through the rough dirt, that get to see the real treasures. Once He reveals the precious stone He then takes it and makes it into a beautiful gem. A diamond or emerald or ruby. He mounts it onto a crown for His glory or a necklace for the bride of Christ.

What gem has He found inside of you? Rejoice for He actually values you more than you can imagine.

Tom was playing with the kids and having just as much fun as they were.

Loads of fun at the beach

Our first sand castle. Not so bad for the first attempt at a family castle.

California

We made the big move. The kids did incredibly well in the car. We had a few times of emotion break downs and almost had our moving truck stolen but we are here. Carlsbad is beautiful. We have gone to the beach twice a day for the past three days. Nice!!! The beach is just a few miles from our apartment. Yeah!! I will add some pictures soon when I can find my camera.

Jenny: As for the baby, I am feeling him move around in my tummy. That is favorite part about being pregnant. My heart beats a little faster everytime he moves. I sit and stare at my bare tummy waiting for the next move. James Lucas Spann will be his name but we are planning on calling him Luke because there are several James in the family.

Aiden is finally starting to realize that it will be cool to have another boy around.

Tom walking into the ocean in California at sunset.

Lilly's Masterpiece

She let Aiden continue his masterpiece on her face.

Aiden's Masterpiece

He says it is a bunch of bugs.

Maylee's masterpiece

She painted this in our backyard yesterday.

Princess Piggytails.

Lilliana Joy is our sweet and sour. Amazingly sweet and fun yet short tempered. Her cute ways help her get away with more than I wish.

Aiden Thomas is 3, very generous and unusually polite.

Maylee is my oldest. Age 5 and loves to be center stage. Friendly.

Go Fly a Kite



Tom and I went out recently to go fly a kite with the kids. At an arts festival Tom picked out a two string, New Tech Ignitor designed by Dodd Gross. Purple, Lilac, blue and green are the colors that make this miniature hanglider in the sky. The conditions were great. It was early evening, the wind was just right and the kids had their nap. We walked out to the field having educated ourselves some what. Tom grabbed the reigns and rolled the strings out. I held the kite. When he was ready, I held the kite in the wind and let go. Wow!!!! The kite went straight up. Soaring up and over, under and around in circles. It was an awesome site. Yet an even more grandiose event to me was when I followed the kite strings staight down to hands of my precious husband. Grinning from ear to ear and spark in his eyes I could see from 20 feet away. That spark started a flame in my heart that the Spirit of God used to renew my heart.



Marriage is like flying a kite. Someone has to be the guide but the guide needs a helper to launch. For the kite to soar though, the wind. God equiped Tom to be the guide. He comes by it naturally. The helper is me and the wind is the Spirit of God and His Grace. As the helper my job is to assisted when need, encourage and watch. Watch as the Spirit of God takes the gifts of Tom and use them to soar the kite to the highest. Beautiful....

Momma's Little Helpers

I pull open the diswasher door and my two older children (4 and 2 years old) gather around and hand me the dishes. Sounds sweet doesn't it? It actually is, in retrospect, but when I am in the midst of it, I get a little frustrated. Maylee starts picking up dishes that are way to heavy for her and usually fragile. Then she proceeds to carry them across the tile floor and flop them up on the counter, which she can't quite reach. Aiden has figured out that he can almost reach the silverware drawer so he picks up a butter knife and a fork, carries it around to the opposite side of the dishwasher, pulls open the drawer and tosses the utensils in. Then he closes the drawer and walks back around the diswasher to start the process over again.

Before I know it I can feel my blood pressure rising as I am rushing to catch falling dishes and dodging flying butter knives. My selfish nature would rather scream at the kids, yank the dishes away and plop them in front of a video while I finish my chores for the day. It definitely would be easier for me.

Then God sends His peace and reminds me to look at the eternal value of teaching my children to help me and help others. Even more so, He reminds me that He doesn't need my help and often times I am the child slinging the knives or picking up more than I should. Yet because He loves me and wants me to be in His presence He chooses to involve me. I don't have to help Him in order for His work to be accomplished, and actually I can make things tougher. But, in the end, the task is completed, and I am refreshed because I have a purpose and Someone who loves me so much.

Momma Bear......... let your children help you. Take the time to show them how and praise them for the precious heart behind it all.

I gave birth to three blocks of wood.........

Well not technically but let me explain. Psalm 127:3-5 says

" Behold children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. As arrows are in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy, blessed, and fortunate is the man whose quiver is filled with them!"

Basically children are arrows in our quiver ( the pack a warrior slings on his back to carry arrows).

This is such an awesome scripture that God keeps placing on my mind. I am a warrior inChrist army. God has given me arrows for my quiver. The thing is they don't start out being arrows. He gave them to me as blocks of wood that need to be shaved, cut, and molded into arrows.

What??????

Well do you know anyone that has given birth to a child that came fully equipped with the blessed character qualities needed to navigate through life? No? Me either. Pretty much all the kids I have come in contact with radiate with sin...sin and more sin...

With my first block of wood I thought I was doing pretty good. I was taking great care of it, bathing, feeding, entertaining, disciplining and keeping it safe. Then one day I read Ps. 127:3-5 and came to the realization that I was not doing with the wood what God intended for me to do with it. You mean I have to make an arrow out of this. I don't know how to do that. I am clueless. I read a few books, looked on line, read some more, reflected on my parents technique, and tried out the concepts on my blessed block of wood. Before I knew it the block was looking rather mangled. I shaved parts that I shouldn't have and then tried to put them back. You get the picture.

Surprisingly God gave me another one. Two blocks of wood.... One looks much better than the other of course at this point but being the strong-willed person that I am, it didn't take long before I managed to put marks all over the new one. It wasn't until I saw the magnificent arrows that someone else had that I realized that I needed God to show me how. In all brokeness of heart I cried out to Him.

Slowly He is teaching me how to shape the third block of wood and how to repair and reshape the other two. Fortunately for me my blocks of wood have not come to the point of where they have actually taken the shape of an arrow yet but my first one being four years old is pretty close. I strongly believe that we build their character in the first 5 to 6 years of their life (shaping them into an arrow). It is in the next few years that we actually learn how to shoot the arrow; placing it in our quiver, loading it in our bow, guiding it in the right direction, aiming it at the target and eventually letting go.

What do your arrows look like? How many do you have? Is it enough? Do you have mangled pieces of firewood?

God I pray that the little ones you have given me become wonderful arrows that will soar through this world and head straight to the target and not miss the mark. Use me Lord in any way to continue to mold them into what you want them to be. Teach my stubborn heart.

Convenience
I am really starting to hate the phrase, "It's convenient." The older I get the more I realized that what seems to be faster and more efficient really is extra work in disguise. Plus the "easier" things get for me the more I come to expect it and the angrier I get when they are not easy.

Here is a convenience exercise. You pull up to your favorite fast food restraunt and of course go through the drive through. You select a predesigned meal from the menu. In the name of convenience you accept the fattening french fries, hamburger and large drink. You order a kids meal with a cheap toy of course to entertain them because you need them to be quiet as you keep yourself busy. Last pay for it with the credit or debit card which now you don't even have to sign or wait on a receipt for then pick up your food.

Sounds great right? We know the truth....

First that meal you just ate is loaded with lots of yummy "no! no!" stuff that will soon make its way to spread or damage some part of your body. The drink will perk you up for about thirty minutes but leave you hanging dead tired from sugar overload. Then before you know it is demanding that you drink another by triggering thirst. This will all drive you to they gym where of course you will work your "rear" off.
After a long day you finally get home with the kids and wrestle them out of the car and in the process the toy you paid way to much for falls apart. This creates an array of emotions in your child from anger to tears to falling apart. Of course you over react because you can't understand why they are behaving such over a toy.

When things finally settle down you go to the computer to balance your account and find out that the restraunt charged you three times for your meal. You call the next day only to discover the cashier had just been fired for stealing debit card numbers and over charging while conveniently take money from the register. You notice other charges on your account that aren't yours and now you have to go to the bank and explain what happen.

*** All of this is not sounding so convenient any more*****