To Be A Refugee

There are over 585,000 refuges that have fled from Northern Sudan to escape Muslim law. In reality none of us can fathom what they see everyday and truthfully we don't want to.

My brother has lived and worked in Africa for the past 6 years. I can't say  much about what he does however just last week Ann Curry (NBC) and Nicholas Kristof (NY Times) were in the area bringing much needed attention to the crisis.  He had the opportunity to work with them during filming. The full story will be aired tonight on NBC at 9:00pm.

You can also check out the video Kristoff did for the NY Times here.  

 Below are some personal pictures that we have gotten from the area.

There is an operating room set up for performing emergency surgeries (many wounded from shrapnel).
They have one national surgeon and are the only site in the county that offers surgical interventions.

Fleeing from the North, they carry all their possessions with them.

The Sudanese (Northern) government is
in an active campaign to kill and destroy a people ground because they
oppose the government. For the most part, these people oppose Sharia
(Muslim) law and supported the South in the war. The government army bombs them daily forcing them away from their homes. They use hunger as a weapon
of war - with the constant bombings the people cannot live freely, cannot
farm, and eventually they either starve or flee. Many are killed
by the bombings and thousands are crossing the border every day.

Hospital that was bombed

The workers there see a lot of death and suffering. The sad news is it doesn't look like the Sudanese govt will stop killing its people anytime soon, they probably will be in these camps for years.  

So please pray - for the conflict in general and for peace to come to the people and justice to those responsible. Also for the undisclosed teams to be able to continue to meet the needs there.  Also safety is always huge - it is not above the North to bomb the refugee camps again as they did earlier this year. 

Watch the news story tonight and familiarize yourself and those you know with the turmoil that these people face everyday. These are families like us,  all displaced from their homes, all suffering. Mostly because they have said no to Muslim law. I will never forget the story of a woman fleeing from the North with her children. As the bomber planes flew over she threw her own body over her children, saving them but sacrificing her own self. 

None of us can imagine that type of life, but this is a reality. 


So today as we enjoy living in a free country remember the people who will never know what that means. 

Rainy Days

Rainy days inside stink, no matter how many kids you have! So today we put together a "solar system" and played with water beads.  Of course they just couldn't resist stepping in them, but I have to say I kinda wanted to do the same thing, they are so squishy!

Solar System Pack

Life Spect

Over the past 4 months, we have done a complete overhaul of our families diet. I always cooked whole foods and we ate healthy, but it was the little things that I believe were building up. We may have never noticed it ourselves, but when you have a child with a "lower threshold" everything shows up as an extreme. So rather than medications we chose to initiate a LIFE CHANGE.  We eliminated dairy, food dyes, preservatives (i.e. nitrates, MSG), and reduced our gluten intake. I began making all of our own bread (which I love now!) and we introduced a combination of fish oil, Magnesium, and B vitamins for Avery.

7 years

Today is our 7 year anniversary. I never could have imagined  that when we met 8 years ago we would have been married less than a year latter. And within 7 years be blessed with 3 beautiful children. I'm so thankful that Ben is the leader of our home and the Godly example that our boys will imitate and my daughter will expect in a husband one day. 

2004 - wow we are so young!

2005

2005

2006

2007 Pregnant with Avery

2006

Adelyn 2009

2010

2011

2011

Hard Things

We had to let Avery's lizard go last night. He has burst into tears crying about 10 times since then because he "misses" his lizard. Despite his strong temperament, he is so tenderhearted.  We have tried to work every angle of this letting the lizard go ordeal to help him deal with it.  1) God didn't create this lizard to live in a glass jar, how can he run and catch bugs? 2) What about the lizards family? - in which he says I'm his family...hmmm. 3) You know how we check books out at the libary, take them home, enjoy them, but then have to return them?... thats like your lizard!  4) I bet that lizard is telling his family all about his adventure and the kind boy that let him go..... and then finally we just have to look at him and say "buddy sometimes doing the right thing is hard, this is one of those times, and because you loved you lizard you had to do what was best for him". 

I feel bad for my little guy. I tried to explain to him that sometimes mommies and daddies have to make hard decisions because they love their children.  And as I hold him while he cries, I will never forget after 27 hours of labor tearfully agreeing to have a C-section to deliver him. I had to make a hard decision, a selfless decision, because I loved him. And this is one of the many lessons I pray he will understand one day when he is his own man.        

Little Chicks

"Do everything without arguing and complaining.... be different, like shining stars in the sky"  Philippians 2:14-16 (adapted) is our verse this week. 


Nothing causes you to take a closer look at your own heart,  then when God gives you a child just like you. As we have worked on our verse this week I know that I am guilty of this just as much as my little ones. The constant bickering back and forth is enough to make me want to bang my head into a wall.... but is my heart that much different? Because the arguing, complaining and disrespectful attitudes towards one another,  are a heart issue, a selfish issue, I have had the kids start saying something kind to one another if I hear them bickering. 

At first I allowed them to get away with "I like your nose", "your hair is pretty"... but this week we have worked on what we are thankful for. "I'm thankful Avery plays babies with me".... "I'm thankful Elly is my friend"... and slowly we are getting to the heart. So rather than arguing and "pecking each others feathers" (I actually made them watch a You Tube video of chickens pecking each others feathers to demonstrate my point!), I pray they learn to value each other in a world where family is seldom valued and tearing each other down is more important than raising each other up. 

 

Life With A Boy

Av's caught a lizard today. He tells me he " is going to start a museum " with his solitary lizard. 

 Baby X just laughs and stands back observing. 

Elly and I were a bit more tentative. However she let Av's put it in her hair... not sure what that was all about! 

click on this photo... it looks cool (thank you Mac and Canon Rebel) 

As of right now the lizard is in a glass jar sitting INSIDE my house. I have threatened the lizards relocation to the woods if they even attempt to open the jar. This is life with a boy! 

This won't last forever

"You know this stage won't last forever".. so says my husband as baby X is throwing a pot across the kitchen, Av's is attempting to "fix" Elly's play kitchen with his toy saw and hammer, and Elly is yelling "I'm done poop, wipe me"... No it won't, I keep telling myself that too, but it doesn't change the current state of insantity . But I love it, I really do. And there was a reason we were having that conversation, and sometimes you just need to put things back in perspective. 




Snap shot from our day......

 Sweet tom boy

 Baby X has learned to scale the gate, at 12 months old

 Avery riding his four wheeler "back wards" at full throttle... in which I quickly stopped that craziness! 

Ice Cream for Dairy Free Kids (and mama's!)

I have a crush on  my Cuisinart.  How did I live this long without you! 
In all seriousness we try very hard to eat a "clean" diet. No diary, no food dyes and no preservatives.  That leaves you making most of your food! I love the date granola bars I can whip up for the kids, or how quickly I can dice up some fresh veggies... but thanks to my good friend Leslie, the best thing I have yet to make is banana ice cream! This was a perfect treat for my dairy deprived children :-)  I was amazed at how creamy the consistency was.... you would have never known this wasn't at least frozen yogurt! As you can tell everyone including baby X loved the special treat! 
Recipe:
2 frozen bananas
Splash of Almond Milk
Splash of vanilla extract
Turn it on full blast.  It took a few minutes but the results were amazing! 

Yes that is Av's eating out of the food processor - without the  blade of course! 

Some People...

As I unloaded the kids at the park today an older lady was watching me carefully. Everyone got to the equipment and started playing, including baby X who loves the slide. Well it didn't take long until  I hear "their all yours?". Yes. "How old are they".... 4, 2, & 12 months.... No comment... just eye brows. A few minutes later, "you let him go down the slide"... Yes.. (I mean really lady don't you see him laughing). Few more minutes "Do you know they all have their shoes off?"... Yes, you pick your battles!... And then here we go "So when does he (Av's) go to Kindergarten"... oh she didn't like that answer.. (homeschool).  This is when I  just walk away and take the kids on a trail in the woods, leaving her with her single grandchild. I was proud of myself for holding my tongue and not saying what I could have said. I've grown in this area for sure, I have 6 little ears and 3 little mouths waiting for me to slip up! 

A Hot Mess!

I really should be cleaning this house right now. I get tired though. I clean during nap and by the time Ben get's home, you'd think I hadn't lifted a finger all day! My mommy friends out there are with me on that.  I guess as long as there are "6 little feet" plus mine running through this house all day the floors will never be spotless. As long as there are six little hands pulling stuff down faster than my two can put stuff away, there will always be toys on the floor. Though I really should take advantage of this short window of time to clean a toilet... without a baby crawling through my legs to throw a train in the bowl!  Or fold a basket of clothes without two toddlers "helping me". I've always loved order. But I am learning to come to terms with my life in the chaotic state, and chose letting Avery get up from his "rest" so that we can throw a ball, rather than organizing the toy box! 

Memorize (v) - to learn by heart

 For a while now we have memorized a Bible verse each week (for  my own memories sake I am going to start posting them). We started in January with some basic concepts....  1 Corinthians 13:4-6 (love passage), Ephesians 4:32, and this week Romans 3:23. It has been neat to see how quickly Avery and Elly both have memorized the Bible verses and how they are learning to apply them (Previous post)...... though some days they are quick to forget! But so am I.  

At first I was intimidated to have the kids memorize scripture. I am always fearful of "quoting scripture at them". But God has promised His words to "fulfill what they are meant to accomplish" Isaiah 55:11. So as I use His words to encourage my children (not tear them down),  the greatest accomplishment I could make is for them to know how much Jesus loves them and let that influence the choices that they make. And while they will still fight, be selfish and mean spirited, I pray that they will have more reasons to be kind, loving, and compassionate. 

A little good morning TV time while I cooked breakfast. They love that dog and each other... most of the time! 

A decision I never thought I would make...

 For a year and a half we tried to do what we were "supposed to do". We enrolled Av's in preschool to "socialize" him. We wanted him to "learn" while "having fun and meeting other kids". But  there was always an uneasiness in my heart. The whole time God had bigger plans. He wanted me to make a decision that I never thought I'd make.  I fought it, I ran from it,  feeling much like Jonah, this certainly wasn't for our family!  But with surrender comes peace, and the peace... it's there now.  Am I stressed... yep. Has my life changed... definitely. But pulling him out of school was the best decision we could have made.  It's certainly not for everyone, but  I am excited to start this chapter in our homeschooling lives. 

Recess in the rain! 

Behind Closed Doors

This article writen by another mother has hit me so hard. Tearful,  but rejoicing in what God has given us in this child... If you know us then you know why.
Excerpt....

Today, I choose to be brave.  Brave enough to say, “I have a child with special needs you cannot see.”

I am a mother who has struggled day in and day out with doing the right thing for a child who tests my very limits and capacities.  I am a mother who has stayed up nights worrying about the health and welfare of a child who didn’t act “normal.”  I am a mother who rejoices at even the tiniest breakthrough because it means we are one step closer to learning to live and flourish in a life that once felt out of control.

And I am thankful.  Thankful for good days,  Thankful for other mothers who have mentored me.  Thankful for coping skills.  Thankful for a daughter who didn’t mistakenly end up in our family.

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.  Psalm 139:14

If you are a mother like me, I encourage you to keep praying, keep giving thanks, keep searching and learning and loving as only a mother can!  You are not alone because even when you feel like no one else in the world understands, God does.  In fact, He knows your child much better than you ever could and WONDERFUL are His works.


Behind Closed Doors - www.thebettermom.com