Can't I Be Normal?

Sometimes I just want to be normal.

What in the world do I mean when I use that word "normal"?

Accepted?

Like everyone else?

Kids in public school?

Two kids, a house, and a dog?

Having friends with kids the same ages?


Sometimes life is just plain hard. Very hard.

Being normal would mean:

Not listening to the "call".

Turning away from mega-mom-hood!

Not growing in Christ through the hard times.

Missing out on the multitude of blessings that God has planned for us.

Being oblivious to the pain and suffering in our community and our world.

As hard as life is, normal would be harder because then I would not be storing up treasures in heaven.

And you know what? In spite of me, my kids are happy. They truly are. They are learning to be secure and loved and cherished. They are learning boundaries and building relationships.

It is pictures and days like these that make me smile, that give me hope, that help me through the sometimes lonely and often times hard places.

Children are a gift from the Lord, no doubt about it.

Playing prairie girls and building forts.

Erika's fort in the woods.

Very creative and self-made.

Welcome to the Kloey and Cora's domain.

They build with what they find using nails and rocks for hammers.

They have quite a compound.

Cora made this horse.

Kloey has her own horse.

Micah is allowed to visit.

Three Things:

1) I am blessed.

2) My kids know how to play!

3) I probably wouldn't like "normal" anyway.

Temporary Home

We went to see someone yesterday.

Someone very important in the lives of my children.

She told me about this song.

She said it made her cry.

I wish I could say more, I can't.

I have hope. And hope is eternal.



Little boy, 6 years old

A little too used to bein' alone

Another new mom and dad,another school

Another house that'll never be home

When people ask him how he likes this place

He looks up and says with a smile upon his face



"This is my temporary home

It's not where I belong

Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through

This is just a stop, on the way to where I'm going

I'm not afraid because I know this is my

Temporary Home."



Young mom on her own

She needs a little help got nowhere to go

She's lookin' for a job, lookin' for a way out

Because a half-way house will never be a home

At night she whispers to her baby girl

Someday we'll find a place here in this world



"This is our temporary home

It's not where we belong

Windows and rooms that we're passin' through

This is just a stop, on the way to where we're going

I'm not afraid because I know this is our

Temporary Home."



Old man, hospital bed

The room is filled with people he loves

And he whispers don't cry for me

I'll see you all someday

He looks up and says "I can see God's face"



"This is my temporary Home

It's not where I belong

Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through

This was just a stop,on the way To where I'm going

I'm not afraid because I know this was

My temporary home."



This is our temporary home

A Surprise From the Fair

The kids are in 4-H. The girls worked on their horse projects and entered them in the fair. Thankfully, if you participate in an exhibit, 4-H gives you free passes. Of course the food is still deliciously exorbitant. We brought the camera but did not use it very much. We watched horse pulling, HAD to march through all the cows and oxen, saw lots of sheep, goats, and alpacas, and watched a few tractor pulls to top off the afternoon.

THEN, IT HAPPENED!

We stood in line to walk through the Poultry/Rabbit house. We don't usually stand in line for much because, well, you know, who wants to stand in line with a 3 year old, a 2 year old, and an eleven month old. Plenty of time standing in line caused us to reflect on how much Kloey wants a bunny. She has begged, pleaded, and written copious notes left on my pillow that are heart wrenching and sweet. Daddy finally said, "Yes" after he spotted two Rex bunnies that were for sale. He said, "Okay, if those two bunnies are still there when Kloey goes through later, we will get them." (The middle four were working at the 4-H food booth.)

THERE THEY WERE.

Is that a smile of sheer delight, or what?

Farmer Lindsey made a few phone calls, went to Tractor Supply, and got us all set up. We are now in the bunny business.

I know you are wondering...

the way things seem to multiply around here....

Two boys!

Hop and Scotch.

Moo Cows

VISITORS PLEASE REPORT TO THE OFFICE

We get personal tours.
We are pretty lucky.

The outdoor mama cows.
More than once,
we were reminded that all the cows
on a dairy farm are
GIRLS.

Some are shy and some aren't.
Are we talking people or cows?
Both.

Boys meet cow.

He does NOT like cows.
No way, no how.
Lindsey is lamenting that
he might not work on her farm.

On the other hand, she is a cow charmer.

NOT afraid.
Full of curiosity.

Closer, closer...

Lots of babies with these cute hearts on their foreheads.

Kloey got a kiss.
She most definitely will want
to work on Lindsey's farm.

If you are not black, then you must be white.

The working GIRLS.

A few outdoor calf pens.

This is what happens when someone else gets the camera.

There is a whole series of shots from start to finish.
Duty happens.

A new calf.
Isn't she lovely?

No bulls allowed.

He's not standing down.
What farm tour is complete without a tractor.
Small green shirted person in right hand corner
is
mesmerized.

The kids had to have a shot of home.

Whoever had the camera felt compelled.
Not exactly a farm buggy
or a pick up truck....
but, I assure you,
it smells like one.

Another delightful tour of the stomping grounds
of our wonderful daughter and sister.

Fountain Head

Fountain heads make me happy.

Faith In Action

Today was "Faith In Action" Sunday at our church. We DIDN'T go to church, not in the usual way. Everyone was encouraged to participate in service projects that ministered to the community.

With our crowd, I was hard pressed to find the right match. Bob wanted to use his skills, the boys wanted to work in the kitchen, and the babies? It was a stumbling block for me. As a family, we had a hard time coming up with a good plan and it changed incessantly until last night. I went with my "gut", also known as a prompting from the Holy Spirit. We created our own project.

First we worked on a few things at home.

Kloey made the cookies pretty much all by herself.

I am very proud of her for doing this.
Only one minor glitch when she accidentally turned the
oven off then back on to 170 degrees.

Micah helped. See the white flakes in his hair?

He tried the empty oatmeal container on as a hat.

Our resident artist did what she does best and created.

She designed and implemented the entire cover herself.

Amazing.

Erika copied a scripture verse to put on the inside of each card.

James 1:27

Kloey is diligently working on the cookies. She stuck with it.

The finished products ready for delivery.

Each card handmade with love.

We got dressed and prepared to head out into the neighborhood.
You see, we have the "orphan" thing down pretty well.

But what about the widows in that Bible verse?
It just so happens that God gave us a neighborhood rich in widows,
five within spitting distance of our house.

Five widows who were all alone this morning.

Kloey held the cards.
Trey carried the cookie bag.

Lindsey pushed Micah.

I tagged along with the baby.

Can I tell you what happened? The blessings poured down like rain.

We knocked on the first door. She opened it with a surprised look on her face. The kids stop by once in awhile but we don't all amass on anyone's doorstep very often.

Kloey handed her the card. Trey handed over the cookies.

Her chin trembled, her eyes watered as she looked at the front of the card.

We looked at each other, not sure what to think.

"You don't know what this means to me," she said.

"My daughter died this week and I.....". She didn't have any more words.

She gave all the kids a group hug. She thanked us.

God showed up. BIG TIME.

Walking down the driveway, I asked who thought they had made a difference in someone's life today?

Every hand went up.