The garden? Again??

Okay, so Katrina and I had a feebled attempt at a garden this year. Due to outside circumstances, we couldn't get the garden in until early June. It wouldn't have been devastating had there not been ant number of animals eating everything in sight. At some point we totally lost hope (and lost the battle) and just gave it over to the deer and the groundhog (or something similar). Today however, the troops were revived! Neither of us had ever planted a fall garden, so we thought, before we try anything too dramatic next summer, we better have one last go at it and see how the enemy fares. We have heard on various occassions that both marigolds and human hair will repel deer. So we have planted lettuce and spinach in the midst of a lovely array of flowers and will round up some hair soon enough. We'll see and maybe come next spring, we'll have have a battle plan that's more successful than this years!
p.s. Though this attempt is in the middle of the other garden, if you look closely to the left you can actually see that the deer even ate the LEAVES on the squash and zucchini! AHHHH! :)

A few thoughts on marriage. . .

When I was growing up my dad would always begin a conversation on marriage saying like the old priest in "The Princess Bride" Mawwiage. . . . I can see him sitting in his office, meeting new couples for pre-marital "mawwiage" counseling, going into some reminiscent of a great movie. Anyway, our friend Rich Stevenson put a wonderful blog today about this great institution and I thought I would pass it along.

Check this out!

Today Show? I think not. . .

As I was driving home last night after picking up a family at the airport (1am) I was praying desperately that my children would sleep well last night. Needless to say, they awoke early, we laid in bed until 7 hoping for a miracle, got up and all I wanted was a bit of good morning show news. I was deterred however when both children, holding drumsticks, placed themselves in front of the TV and requested the following. . . .

P.S. The one from this morning wouldn't upload, but this is relatively close. . . . the one this morning was much louder and much more rambunctious! If anyone knows, I would love to know when I should think about actual drum lessons of some sort. What does that look like? When? Do they make little set for 4 year olds? Anyone?

Samuel the Great

So, just a quick note. Samuel has come into himself a bit this past week and I thought I would share with you our newest dilemna. SO, parents near and far, how does one deal with the climbing tendencies of a young one who so very often gets up there and suddenly begins to yelp for help as he is so completely (and obviously) stuck????



I missed the first place he was stuck that afternoon, but several minutes after I took the second shot, his brother had taught him how to get out of the slide predicament. Just go down!! Yeah for big brothers-

Musings from the Prayer Room, Part 1

Okay, so this is now the third series that I have started in the world of blogging. I hope this one has more success than the previous two. I won't go through the messy details, but neither of the first attempts ever made it to part 2. Anyway, I have seen someone else do this and I thought it was a great idea. The thought is that while I am in the prayer room, the Lord is speaking to my heart, showing me things, and moving in me to pray for all kinds of things. I figured what a better way to share about what happens up here, than by sharing some of my heart and experiences.

Picture this, this morning we all headed down the street to the prayer room. Me and the boys, and we took with us Katrina and Kinsey (see this post for sweet Kinsey) and our friend Andrew. Anyway, we all arrived close to 10:30 and stayed until almost 11:30! (a vast improvement from the last trip with both boys and one mommy) Beside the point, as I was watching Benjamin stare at the drums and play along in the air, Samuel fell asleep in my arms and we all headed back to our seats, conveniently located in the back of the room. Benjamin was content to color in his coloring book for a bit, but then wanted to go back up front and see the drums again. Since I was now firmly planted with a child asleep in my lap, I sent him to our dear friend Chad and they watched the drums together.

Two things suddenly happened. First, the worship leader began to sing the following chorus "I put on my garments of vengeance, I wrap myself in zeal as a cloak. I'm going to war. I'm going to war, says the Lord." At first glance, I was upset by this song. This view of the Lord. The picture of the heavenly Father, in all his loving kindness, going to war against humanity. Then like a lightening bolt, it hit me. It is because of his loving kindness that he is going to war. I don't really understand what it looks like for someone to love me enough that they would be willing to fight and die for me. In a generation that has not experienced a "traditional" war, I only see it as a horrible, pride-filled event that causes pain and suffering. But this morning my heart was moved to pray for those I know who long to see Jesus and the Father as ones who will FIGHT for our hearts. We don't really know what it is like to have someone really fight FOR us. Most of the time it is shrouded in some kind of selfish ambition, gain, or world dominion. Not just for us and our hearts. May we know this zeal of the Lord in a new and exciting way.

Secondly, when Benjamin and Chad came back from drum watching, Chad told me that Benjamin had been praying as he was watching when they were talking about East Asia (a specific country that we talk about, but due to the sensitive nature, I can't actually say where). Benjamin told Chad that he was praying for Bright, his friend. You see, our dear friends have left for East Asia this past weekend and we have been talking about where they are and what they are doing. He had heard the people on stage praying for that place and those people, and he in his own way, began to intercede for his friend Bright to be able to share the gospel. The chorus we were singing was, "Open up a door, open up a window. Make a way for your word to go forth." So as we prayed this morning,

"Lord Jesus, hold the Rupp family. Make a door, make a window for the power of the gospel to be spread in East Asia. Use ALL of them to testify to the only Living God, raised from the dead and coming back to fight for his people. That all in your city may know the depth to which we are loved, the width to which you search for us, and the power with which you will save us from all that is evil, all that is pain, and all that is death. May Bright testify to the light of the word. May Daniel and Kayla rest in your plan and your provisi0n, may Zion make his namesake known and may your name be glorified."

We love you Rupps, we are with you and thinking of you- can't wait to hear from you!

IHOP Fun

There are all kinds of things I could complain about when talking about life at IHOP (lack of funding, neighbors who hate us, too far from grandmas, etc,etc,etc). However, this is something I will forever be grateful for. Tonight as Ben and John were putting together the train tracks, Samuel started to "play with them." (messing them up) John and I were asking Benjamin to be patient with his brother and I started to sing the old Psalty song from when we were kids (be patient, be patient, don't be in such a hurry. . . . ) Anyway, he didn't like that too much, so I remembered the last part of this verse that he has been learning in Sunday School. Sadly, I couldn't remember the whole thing, but when I asked him he knew it by heart. Thank you Lord, that despite our shortcomings and failings as parents, you still take our children and mold them. Thank you for putting us in this place where your word is taught so thoroughly.

As a side note, every week they have 4-5 of these verses where Mr. Danny comes to all the classes (1-5 year olds). First they say the verse, then they sing the verse, then they pray the verse. It's intense and really cool at the same time. Love to you all!

This is just plain cute!

So I couldn't help but share. This is our friend Kensey. The kids were playing outside tonight with bubbles, and she couldn't get enough of it. Don't you love that little laugh?

Battle Over

For all who are interested, we moved the tracks to the floor this afternoon and all worked fairly well. I think he was as frustrated with me as he was with Samuel, I kept kicking them! Oh well, now I only have to pull Samuel off the table when he climbs up for fun. Okay, so maybe the battle isn't completely over. . . .

Ever feel like you're fighting a losing battle???

I don't know if you can tell or not, but both of my children have happily placed themselves on top of the table playing with trains. We originally moved Benjamin and his trains to the table when Samuel started crawling. He wouldn't leave them alone and he kept messing up the tracks (as all infants do). Well, sometime recently, Samuel has learned to appreciate the tracks as is, and actually loves to move the trains along them like his big brother. I now find myself moving his off the table more times a day than I can count, and I am reflecting, is not the time to move the trains back to the floor? Or would that cause more problems? Oh the dilemnas of parenting . . . . . some more important than others. :) Blessings-

The Sending Part 2

For the first part of this post, I feel I must send you to my dear friend Candace's post. She sometimes can say the same things I have thought but just better. I wanted to piece on some other thoughts about our wonderful weekend in the woods with 9 babies (Benjamin being the oldest) and 8 adults on a campsite for two nights in tents. As we made the treck home, we stopped way too many times and Samuel threw up everything he had eaten 10 miles from the house. We stopped one more time, cleaned it all out, and finished the adventure (Thank the Lord that Benjamin didn't puke as well, since he was sitting perilously close at the time!). As we pulled into the driveway, it was close to bedtime, we had babies to bathe and put to bed, a car that still stunk of puke, stuff to be unloaded, and a bed calling our names as well. My mind was completely focused on the tasks at hand. We all know how I can get when it comes to finishing a list of tasks! Nonetheless, someone stopped me and asked how it went. In passing I said, "It was miserable in practicality, but absolutely wonderful for the soul." As I have thought more over the last several days, I am more and more sure of it. No matter how difficult it may be, no matter how long we have to go or how crazy the conditions, I will always treasure my time with the Chaneys, Harpers, and Rupps. They are precious souls that the Lord has united our hearts with and this weekend was simply another lesson in the amazing thing called fellowship.

I think the 1st century church had something that most of us are missing. We struggle and strive and do all kinds of things in the name of fellowship, but when the Holy Spirit knits hearts together, you don't have to force anything. You will struggle against forces to encounter it. You will fight for it, not willing to miss a moment. It's not something to be orchestrated or planned, it simply happens and is the most beautiful thing I have encountered. It is rare. I am forever grateful to the Lord for what he has done. I long for the next encounter, knowing it will be better than the rest.

"May they(the believers) be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." Matthew 17:23