The Energizer Mommy

...she keeps going and going and going.

So our anniversary arrived, then we had our church's 3rd annual Family Camp, then a very busy day at church Sunday, then Jason and I were FINALLY able to getaway for a few days (more on this later), and then we arrived home and picked up running where we left off. Back to school this week for the boys and I. Jason is busy preparing for our church to make the move from the country dance hall that we have been meeting in to a local high school while we await the acquisition or our property and the construction of our new building. *deep breath* And this momma just keeps going and going and going....

How do we do it, Moms? How do we stay energized and fresh?

Well, I wanted to share with you one of the ways I stay fresh.




I have personally experienced Hearts at Home and I want you to know that there is nothing like it. A Hearts at Home conference is like going to “mommy school.” You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you’ll be inspired to be the best mom you can be. Additionally Hearts at Home offers books, an online mothering community, a bi-monthly magazine, and a free E-Newsletter. I strongly urge you to grab some girlfriends and attend one of their upcoming conferences:

October 3-4, 2008 Grand Rapids, Michigan
November 7-8, 2008 Rochester, Minnesota
March 13-14, 2009 Bloomington, Illinois

If you don’t live close enough to drive to a conference, and hopping on a plane isn’t an option, you can also order a Home Conference Packet which gives you the conference via CD.

Check out the Hearts at Home website today to find out all that Hearts at Home has to offer you!

Blessings,
~ Marcia ~

The Great Adventure

September 10, 1994

A 19 year old boy took the hand of his 19 year old bride.

They stood before the Lord and their family and friends.

They vowed to love, cherish, honor, and remain faithful

to each other as long they were alive.

He vowed to lead her spiritually, care for her and nurture her.

She vowed to respect him, encourage him and obey him.

They placed rings on each other's fingers as

visible reminders of their constant and unfailing love.

He sang to her about what he sees when he looks at her.

She stood smiling not able to see anything but him.

They shared their first communion together before the Lord.

They walked down the aisle forever joined as husband and wife

ready to embark on "The Great Adventure" of marriage and ministry.

After 14 years of life together,

the Lord has increased their family with three sons.

The Lord remains faithful.

A 33 year old boy takes the hand of his 33 year old bride.

This is "The Great Adventure."

Lyrics to "If You Could See What I See" by Geoff Moore and Steven Curtis Chapman

Lyrics to "The Great Adventure" by Steven Curtis Chapman

Is this the last time?

I was visiting Karen Ehman's blog and she had blogged about her "baby" starting 5th grade. Her thoughts about blinking and her children growing up really hit me hard. It's been a challenging week, but a good week, praise the Lord!

Many times I find myself wondering if they will ever grow up but then I realized I am already past the pregnancies, the nursing, the binkies, and even the potty-training! (I never thought that would ever happen!) And with the start of school this fall, I am officially no longer a mother of a preschooler since Jesse has begun kindergarten. Woah. *deep breath* After being exhorted to "drink in every moment" on Karen's blog, I've been trying to be very intentional about these precious moments and treasure every one.

So when Jacob asked me to rub his back and sing "the sunshine song" (You Are My Sunshine) the other night, even with every ounce of my exhausted being crying out for a few moments of peace and quiet, I knelt down beside him and did it with joy in my heart. How do I know that THIS is not the last time he will ask?

It's like the process of following your weaning baby's cues. Two of my nursinglings weaned on their own at about a year and as they began cutting out nursing sessions, I began to wonder, "Is this is it? Is this the last time? Is it really over?" Eventually it was. But you never know that until AFTER the moment is gone. Then as time goes by and they never ask to nurse again, then you know...and then you cry (or jump for joy!). For me it was very bittersweet.

So I sang and after the moment had passed, and I was sitting on the couch in the quiet house with Jason away at a meeting, I knew I had made the right choice. I rubbed his back and sang with all my heart instead of saying "Momma is too tired tonight, Hon." So if that was the last time he ever asks, I know I have no regrets.

"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance" - Ecclesiastes 3:1,4

Blessings,
~ Marcia ~

Do YOU know what "nupid" means?

Apparently, I have a very bright 4 year old. Brighter than me, I suppose.

Last week, after we finished up opening our boxes of books (see BOX DAY!) something made Joseph upset and he said something to the effect of, "That is so stupid!" Jesse, our resident tattletale, immediately said, "Joe, you can't say that! That's a nobody word! But...you can say nupid. That's ok! Nupid means the same thing." He said it so matter-of-factly that I was stunned. Nana, Papa, Jason and I all heard it and started laughing, but I stifled my giggles as I explained to him that "nupid" is not ok to say because in your heart you mean the same as stupid. Somehow I think that rhyming words will come very easy to this little guy.

Out of the mouths of babes...

Blessings,
~ Marcia ~

The Saving of Jacob (Part 2)

Saturday evening, Jason ran up to the church office to photocopy the bulletins for the next morning. While he was gone, I gave the boys a bath (Joey took a shower downstairs) and explained to them what was going on the next day. Jacob and Jesse's friend was getting baptized after church. Talking about baptism brought up questions from Jacob about what it is and why we do it. So I talked with him as I tucked him in and explained that we do not believe that baptism saves people. He seemed ok with thinking about that for a while.

When Jason got home, I asked him to go in and talk to Jacob too. I certainly didn't want to push him, but I didn't want to ignore what the Holy Spirit was speaking to his heart too. So daddy, the preacher, went in to kiss him goodnight.

Well, a few minutes later, Jason asked me to join them and my heart leaped within my chest as I thought about the eternal significance wrapped up in this moment in time. Wow! So I joined them and Jacob said that he wanted to ask Jesus in his heart. We talked about why we needed to do this (because we all have sinned and that our sin separates us from God) and what happens when we do this (the sacrificed blood of Jesus Christ wipes away our sin and He sends the Holy Spirit to help us live like Him and to have a relationship with Him).

So we all held hands as he prayed. What a wonderful moment as a parent. I know this is not "fire insurance" for my child to keep him from hell, but I know that his heart is soft to the leading of the Holy Spirit and he was ready to make this step in his own faith walk.

My prayer is that he continues to keep his heart soft and that he will strive to listen to the voice of the Lord in his heart.

Lord, help me to seek You first in everything so that I may be well-equipped to lead my children to do the same. Thank you for the gift of salvation through the shed blood of your perfect Son, Jesus Christ!

See yesterday's post for Part 1 of The Saving of Jacob.

Feeling incredibly blessed,
~ Marcia ~

The Saving of Jacob (Part 1)

September 3rd makes the anniversary of a true miracle in our family!

It's been two years since I wrote these words to some very dear online friends recounting the near-drowning of our middle son, Jacob. He was 4 1/2 at the time. My heart still races and a panic grabs me even to this day as I read through the details and recall my emotions and feelings of that day. I am posting this today as a reminder of the truth that none of us is ever given the guarantee of even one more single breath.

We have experienced a true miracle!

Jacob nearly drowned on Sunday afternoon so the past couple days have been a blur to me. I will try to type out the whole story but I'm tired and unsure I can finish it.

Some background: The church where Jason pastors meets out at a country dance hall that is only used Thurs. nights for practice and Sat. nights for music/karaoke/dancing. We set up and tear down every week. Behind this building is a sewage lagoon/water treatment facility that belongs to the city and is surrounded with a 4-5ft chain link fence with barbed wire along the top and a cattle gate for trucks. (I think it is roughly the size of a football field.)

Well, Jake has been known to wander off while we are tearing down and such, but has always been located quickly. This Sunday when I noticed I hadn't seen him for a few minutes, I went out to the van (where he usually goes) and saw that he had put his Sunday school papers in the van. So I found Jason and pretty soon there were about a dozen of us looking for him. I had Jesse playing in thevan so I stayed up by the van calling Jake. I saw a couple parked school buses up the road and wondered if he would have walked up the highway to see them. My mind would not allow me to think about the lagoon. Jason and a bunch of others immediately went that direction. I was just paralyzed with fear!

In a few minutes, one of our teens came running up screaming, "Call 911, he was in the water!!!" OMGosh! I started crying uncontrollably. I was drawn to go there, but so terrified of what I might see. But I had to see my baby! A woman came and took Jesse as I ran toward the lagoon. I was grabbed by another woman but I didn't know if he was alive and breathing or unconscious or whatever. It seemed like an eternity before I heard her say, "He is ok...he's alive! Brandon saw him in the water!" and I lost it again. Then I saw Joey walking along just crying and I grabbed him and said, "He's ok. He's ok."

Within seconds, I saw my soaking wet baby in the arms of my mostly wet husband and all I wanted at that moment was to hold Jacob. Jason carried him up the hill as I ran down it and I held him so tight bawling like a baby. I asked him if he was ok and he said, "I drowned-ed, but I did not die." I said, "No, baby, you did not die." I walked over and hugged Brandon, the 23yo who caught a glimpse of his head as it popped up and then went back under the water. He ran down the hill, climbed and jumped the fence cutting himself as he went and dove into this sewage not even knowing it's depth. Jake was back under a foot and a half by then. Jason followed him in and took Jake from him and handed him to Brandon's dad and then helped Brandon out.

Jake began to slip into shock and we waited for the paramedics to arrive talking to him and trying to keep him awake and warm. He never once lost conciousness! Amazing. The first-responders arrived and checked his breathing. He was stable. Then the paramedics arrived and checked him out. They said he was stable enough for us to transport if we wanted to (we have no health insurance right now...not that it matters in an emergency like this!) so Brandon's dad, Brian, said he would drive us. We had some friends take Joe and Jesse and we sped off to the hospital 20min away.

I talked to Jake and kept him awake and tried to keep him warm. The ER took us right back and began their assessment. His pulse ox was in the low 80's so they gave him oxygen in his nose. Drew blood and started an IV. They ordered a chest x-ray and a blood gas and 850mg of Rocephin (an antibiotic). As the results came back they informed us that they were going to have him transported to the local University Hospital where they have a trauma team. He was stable, but could need more help quickly. I rode with him in the ambulance the 5 blocks to the University where the trauma team met us and wisked him into a room. I was pulled aside into a small room by the hospital social worker and asked for all the details. Jason arrived about 10min later and we waited for the dr to update us. He came out in about 10 more minutes and told us that Jake was doing ok. He was at CT for a head and chest CT at the time. They found no other injuries to his body. Because his belly appeared distended (I had not noticed), they put in an NG tube (tube down his nose into his stomach) to remove the air and the water from his stomach. This got him crying and it actually brought his pulse ox up into the 90's on room air only. So that was great! He told us they would transfer him up the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) after his CT and that we could see him then. They explained that if he had aspirated the lagoon water, he could develop pneumonia and take a turn for the worse in a matter of minutes so they wanted him being watched very closely that night. We were completely ok with that.

So we debriefed the friends with us and then some others arrived with some clothes for Jason (who was still in his soaking wet jeans, shoes, socks, and cell phone) and some chicken and granola bars for us. It was about almost 2 and we had not eaten anything yet.

When we got to his room, he looked ok. He looked soooooooo pale to me, though. And he was sorta catatonic (sp?) just staring at the TV screen. I remained with him all night. Jason's mom, dad and sister drove in from KC and after they visited, they took Jason to the house to relieve our friends and to pick up Joe and Jesse. They all came back into town and found a hotel so they could be closer to Jake and I than the usual 30min drive. He vomited once after we had just given him a sponge bath (to get some of that nastiness off of him!) but that was good. There was a lot the tiny green algea/plant junk in his stomach contents. Yuck.

He slept like a rock that night and the nurse came in every 4hrs to wake him and every hour to check his vitals. What a little trooper. The night nurse checked his lungs, looked at me in amazement and said, "I don't think he aspirated ANY of it. His lungs sound so clear! That does not usually happen in a case of near drowning." Thank you, Jesus, for this miracle. Jason arrived about 6:30am and they did a chest x-ray. After the x-ray, he seemed to awaken...like the little boy yesterday (Sunday) was not even my Jake. My Jake reappeared with smiles and giggles and incessant talking! I was so happy! The resident made his rounds and said the NG tube could come out and he could get a popsicle and have breakfast ordered. He ate like a champ. What a doll. I've never seen anyone so happy about seeing a strip of BACON!

I went home with Joe and Jesse at lunchtime so mom and dad and Robin could get on the road in the Labor Day traffic. Jason remained with Jake. The attending came by and said he could go home and to mainly watch for fever indicating pneumonia or shortness of breath/labored breathing.

I have never been so happy to have my family all together. The prayers came from all over the country! God is so good! No telling how this story would have been different had Brandon not spotted him at that moment. How do you even begin to say "thank you"??? I have no clue!

We have since asked Jake what happened. I am still unsure exactly HOW he got into the fenced area, but he said, "I go out there and I slipped and falled in and go under the water. I call 'help!' and then I come up and then Brandon get me out." Wow! Makes me cry right now.

My baby is safe. Thank you, Jesus!

This miracle brought many, many questions to my soul. Why did Jacob live and the son of some very dear friends die? They are believers too. Why?

Don't get me wrong. I am thankful beyond words, but my mind still cannot answer some of these unanswerable questions. As I rejoice in Jacob's life, I am reminded to uplift our precious friends through prayers that have no words...groanings of my spirit.

Even still...as I write this, an even greater and more incredible miracle has taken place. Please stop back by tomorrow to read The Saving of Jacob, Part 2.

With a quieted heart,
~ Marcia ~

The Power Team!

Nana and Papa took all three boys to see The Power Team at a local church on Friday night. Wow! They had a great time and came back all pumped and with Power Team bandannas on their foreheads. Ha! Joey even came home with a shredded hot water bottle! Watch the video to see what they do to them!!! These guys are STRONG!

It was a nice evening without the boys, but it was not quite what I would call "quiet." Jason had a friend from church over to work with him on his computer and I was busy putting together my IGs (instructor's guides) in preparation for school on Monday. Not a "date night" but we have our sites set on a 3 night/4 day getaway coming up in only 2 weeks. *wink*

Blessings,
~ Marcia ~

It worked, it worked!

Joseph's shelf of books!

The cookies must have worked! Around 2:00pm, our books arrived. I sent Jacob out to give the FedEx man the cookies, and he was surprised to say the least. I told him, "Thank you for bringing our school books," and he seemed very shocked but very grateful.

Jake and I carried (ok, so I sort of grunted and shoved the heaviest box) the boxes inside and and Jake ran through the house screaming, "The books are here! It's BOX DAY!!!" Everyone, including Nana and Papa were very excited.

Jason took the heavy box downstairs so we opened our boxes in Nana and Papa's apartment. It was a lot of fun! The boys just seemed so thrilled with their new books. Thank you Sonlight! I never thought my boys would get so excited about BOOKS!





As mom, I saw my big binders and my IGs (instructor's guides) and thought of all the prep work I had to do! Ugh! But I did get it all put together and ready by Sunday evening. I still felt a little overwhelmed.

So TODAY (yes, I know it was Labor Day) was our first day of full-schedule-school. It went very well, although there were a few moments when I struggled to keep Jesse busy while I was working with Jacob. Thankfully, Jason stepped in and worked with Jesse so he didn't get too frustrated. Also, I am pleased to report that Joseph did a WONDERFUL job staying on task and accomplishing his checklist today. So I am happy to say I was very pleased with our day! Thank you, Jesus!

Now to focus on Day 2. *smile*

Blessings,
~ Marcia ~