Conversations with Noah

Noah has been really funny and deeply philisophical lately.


Conversation #1-driving home from school:
Noah: "Whoa, that yard is full of wishes!"
Me: "What are you talking about?"
Noah: "You know, wishes that you blow."

He was speaking of the thousands of puffy white dandelions in the neighbors' yard. Apparently Jacob told him to blow them and make a wish.


Conversation #2-driving to school:
Noah: "Mom, why does God want us to live with him in heaven?"
Me: "God wants us to live with him because he loves us."
Noah: "But what's he gonna' do to us?
Me: "What do you mean?"
Noah: "Mommy, I need to know the truth."
Me: "Well if you are good when you grow up and serve God and do what the Bible says to become a Christian, then you will go to heaven. But if you are bad when you grow up and you don't care about God and don't become a Christian, then you won't go to heaven."
Noah: "I'll just do that then because I don't want to go to heaven. I just want to stay home."
Me: "Well, it doesn't really work that way. You don't get to stay at home. If you're bad when you grow up then you go to a place called hell."
Noah: "What's hell like?"
Me: "It's a really bad place. The devil lives there and you hurt and can't feel better and the Bible says there's fire and it's hot."
Noah: "Well, I know what I would do."
Me: "What?"
Noah: "I would stop, drop, and roll."


Conversation #3 - Upon arriving home from school:
Noah: "Let's go smell the apple trees."
Me: "Okay."

So we walked through the orchard looking at all the trees at which point he grabs me by the hand and says, "Mommy, do you love walking through our beautiful apple forrest?"

Testing, Testing

I've recently found out that Darren is using my blog as some kind of experiment. Apparently he's trying to learn how to do something that I can't even begin to understand. To that end, he has asked me to post something with an image.

So.....this post is a test. It is only a test. If this had been a real post you would have be notified.

Have a great day everyone.

How DOES he do that?

Sunday while we were getting ready for church Noah asked if he could have some money to put in the offering. This was unusual in itself because Noah usually doesn't like to part with his money, but I gave him a dollar in change. In the car on the way to church he said, "I hope God doesn't get mad." I asked him why God would be mad and he said, "If I put this money in the basket." I told him God would be very happy if he put his money in the basket. Then he said, "Mommy, how does God get that money out of the basket?" Now try explaining that one to a 4 year old!

Growing Up

Yesterday on the way to take Noah to Head Start he said, "Mom, I think I'm big enough to walk in by myself." I said, "I'm sure you are, but the rules say I have to walk you to your class." To which he replied, "Hmmph, well don't hold my hand!"

I almost physically felt the unraveling of the apron string. Where did this independent little boy come from? A few months ago he was attached to me like a leach. Part of me is glad that he is getting over his severe "mommyitis," but another part of me is sad to see my baby grow up.

More Homework, Please!

Summer has officially come to a close. School is back in session and we are working on establishing a new routine. I can't believe that Jarrod is a sophomore, Jacob a 5th grader and my baby, Noah, started Head Start last Wednesday.

Jarrod said the first day was "alright." Jacob said it was the best first day of school ever, and Noah LOVED Head Start. I wasn't sure what to expect at the beginning of summer when we signed him up, but he has matured so much this summer. In a lot of ways he's a different kid than he was just a few months ago.

Wednesday after his first day, Noah came home and said "Mom, do I have to do my homework now." I said, "Noah, you don't have any homework today." To which he replied, "But Mom, I NEEEED homework." I told his teacher the next day that his only complaint was that he didn't have any homework and she said she could remedy that. Sure enough, Thursday night he had homework (and he was thrilled). Jarrod and Jacob are trying to convince him that homework is bad, but so far he's not buying it. I'm thinking I should have recorded the whole conversation to play back to him in a few years!

The Death of a Dream

As some of you will recall from my previous posts from August of 2007, Darren became the proud owner of a scooter nearly two years ago. He had dreamed of the moment for a while and his dreams finally became reality, but alas it was not to be. His visions of that cool windblown look and enormous gas savings did not materialize. And finally, this spring he decided to part with his scooter and give up his dream.

We sold "Scooty" (as Noah named it - all of our vehicles have names) on Ebay and the fellow arrived from Detroit, Michigan this morning to take "Scooty" to his new home.

So....another chapter closes. I wonder what gadget or gizmo Darren will want next. Sigh....

The Fast Track

First off, let me say, yes I am still alive. I know it's been a long time since I blogged but I have just not had the time or the energy. Now that tax season is over I'll have more time....yeah, right!

Anyway, today I went and signed my baby up for Headstart. I can't believe he is school age already. He misses being able to start Kindergarten this year by 16 days. I don't have to send him to Headstart but he REALLY needs the structure. He's ready and I believe Kindergarten will be much easier if he gets into a routine now.

Now, I've said that he NEEDS to go to Headstart, but as you might guess, he has a completely different opinion. He doesn't want to go to school and apparently has decided to put himself on the fast track. As we left the Headstart building yesterday he said, "But, Mom. I don't want to go to school. I just want to grow up and mow. That's what Jarrod dooz." (Jarrod has started his own mowing business this year and Noah thinks mowers and mowing is "awesome" [his words]). He's so funny. I can't believe how much he has grown. He's not even gone to school yet and I miss him already.

Frosty Failure

Last Sunday afternoon the snow had melted sufficiently to become perfect for snowman making. We've not had many good snowman snows since Noah was born so I convinced Jarrod to take him out and help him build a snowman. They had been out for a little while when I heard Noah screaming his head off. When I went out he was crying and clearly distraught. When I asked him what was wrong he said, "Mommy, we put the hat on but Frosty won't come to life!" It took forever for Jarrod to convince him that Frosty was make-believe. Later that night Noah told me, "Mommy I know what's wrong with Frosty. He don't gots no legs and that frosty on my square TV gots legs." He went out every morning after that to talk to Frosty and tell him bye before going to the sitter. He would carry on big conversations with him, assuring him that he wouldn't melt and the like. Of course, yesterday was not kind to Frosty and today all that's left of him is barely a snowball's worth of snow. I figured Noah would flip out when he started melting but he seems to have taken it in stride except for the melting play by play (i.e. his eyes fell off, his nose fell off, his head fell off, etc.). Tonight he finally reported that Frosty was "all gone." Farewell Frosty until we meet again.

Winter Wonderland

We woke up this morning to about five inches of snow here in Fleming County. Suprisingly, by the time I rolled out of bed at 8:45 a.m. the roads had been scraped and looked to be in decent shape. I still didn't go in to work though. In anticipation of the weather I had brought several tax returns home with me last night so I have been working on those most of the day.

Jacob and Noah have made two ventures out into the snow today already and their clothes are now in the dryer in preparation for the third. It's really nasty outside right now because on top of the snow we are now getting some nice freezing rain. We are getting ready to go to church to help do some clean up from the kitchen/nursery remodel in preparation for Ermil Pettit's visitation and funeral and the boys are going to play outside some more with the Paige crew.

When Noah came in a few minutes ago he said, "Mom, it sure is cold out there." That reminded me of something Jacob said when he was about Noah's age. Whenever we went out in the cold on the way to daycare I would always tell him, "It's colder than a dog's hind leg out here." (Where did that expression come from anyway?) One day, when we went out to get in the car he looked at me and said, "Mom, it's a freezin' dog leg out here." Now, that's cold!

Hope everyone is warm and safe on this "freezin' dog leg" day!

Flying Solo

Every night when I put Noah into bed, I say his bedtime prayers during which time he pays varying degrees of attention. His attentivness ranges anywhere from perfect stillness (rarely) to jumping up and down in the bed (more often than not). In any event, I say his prayers give him a hug and a kiss, say "I love you", he kisses my hand (don't ask me why) and it's off to dreamland. This is the routine we've had for quite sometime. But things changed Tuesday night. He decided out of the blue to fly solo. He was standing in the bed quietly while I said prayers and when I finished he said, "Now it's my turn to say prayers." I replied "Okay" and this was the sweet, simple prayer of my 4 year old son:

Thank you for Jesus

Thank you for Nana

Thank you for Mommy

Thank you for Daddy

I love you, Jesus.

Amen

It brought tears to my eyes. I'm so glad that he is already realizing the importance of Christ in his young life. It is so encouraging to see the things that are so meaningful to me mirrored in my kids.

Reflections of a Year - 2008

Wow! I can't believe that 2008 is drawing to a close. It's funny to me that as a child it seemed to take forever for Christmas to get here but the older I get the faster Christmas rolls around each year.


2008 has been a good year filled with blessings from God on high.


January - Jarrod and I prepared for our mission trip to Mexico. The excitement was building as we completed our fundraising efforts and travel plans.


February - A group of us from New Life, including myself and Jarrod, traveled to Mexico with Faith and Works on a mission trip. This was my second trip and Jarrod's first. What an awesome opportunity! God touched my life in so many ways during this trip. We also began Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University at church. This program has been such a blessing to us and I am so thankful for the lessons we've learned and applied to our lives through Dave's program.


March - I spent March in the whirlwind of tax season. I'm thankful that God has given me a skill that I can use to help provide for my family and I'm thankful for my job. Especially in these tough economic times.


April - We were saddened by the sudden loss of Darren's cousin, Stephanie. It's so important for us to remember that God doesn't promise us another day, or even another hour. Life is so fleeting. Spend it doing the things that really matter....spend it in the service of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Also, Jacob turned 9 years old. He is growing up so fast!


May - Darren and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. We have officially spent half of our lives together. I'm so thankful for the man God blessed me with and look forward to growing old with him! We were also especially thankful that my brother-in-law made it home safely from his one year tour of duty in Iraq and we are grateful to God for protecting him from harm.


June - Gospel Man & Bible Boy consumed much of our June. We were busy filming videos starring our two heroes for Vacation Bible School. We also spent a weekend at Sugarloaf Family Camp where a bunch of us from New Life took care of the children's program.


July - What a busy month! Camp and Vacation Bible School. I pray that we we're able to touch the lives of lots of kids and plant seeds of salvation through our efforts.


August - Darren and I made a solo trip to Delmarva, Deleware to preach at Delmarva Family Camp. We really enjoyed ourselves and are looking forward to returning in a couple of years. This was the first trip we had taken without the kids since Jarrod was about 1 year old! Also of note this month was the beginning of school. My firstborn began his freshman year at Fleming County High School. Wow, where does the time go?


September - Amy and I began our weekly Bible study. We talked about doing this while we were in Mexico together but it took us until now to get around to it. This study and our fellowship has become one of the things I look forward to most each week. I'm so thankful for Amy and our friendship.


October - We began another season of Bible Bowl and both of our teams had good results at our first round robin. It was great to see the kids so excited about what they had accomplished. My baby turned 4 this month. I can't believe 4 years have come and gone since Noah came into my life. Thoughts of him can always bring a smile to my face.


November - We kicked off our new women's group at church. Ladies 2for2 is a ministry striving to fulfill the mission and promises of Acts 2:42-47. I am so excited to see what God has planned for New Life through this wonderful group of ladies. Also, Jarrod turned 15! 365 days and counting until the dreaded driver's permit!


December - We presented two performances of "Hallelujah! Jesus is Born!" at church. This was our first attempt at a musical during our time at New Life. I thoroughly enjoyed it and we didn't sound half bad if I do say so myself. I hope our program brought glory to God. We enjoyed Christmas with both sides of our family and at home. It was so nice to be with everyone and to see loved ones that live away.

As I look back over the year I see so many things to praise God for. Health, home, family, friends, jobs, and opportunities to serve. God is so good! I look forward to seeing what God has in store for us in the coming year and I pray that He uses us in a big way!

Wishing all of you a very Happy New Year! May God bless and keep you all!

Our Example

Lately at New Life we've been heavily involved in a big push toward evangelism. We started several months ago going through a Bible study called First Principles and we currently have 3 groups meeting and 1 more beginning in January. Darren and I are involved in one of the groups on Tuesday nights. Jarrod always stays home and keeps Jacob and Noah while we go to the study. I didn't know it but apparently Noah is very aware of where we are and what we are doing on Tuesday evenings.

Yesterday was my day off and Noah and I went to church to pick Darren up and go to lunch at his mother's house. Before we left the house, Noah told me to wait and ran back into his room to get his "My First Bible." He told me he needed to take his Bible because he was going to have a Bible study. I asked him who he was going to have a Bible study with and he said, "Daddy." I said, "Oh, so Daddy is going to teach you about the Bible?" He said, "No. I'm going to teach Daddy." I started laughing and said, "So you think you know more than Daddy?" He said, "Yes." So I said, "Tell me everything you know about the Bible." He looked at me and said, "Jesus is Lord!"

I guess that pretty much sums it up, huh? It's amazing what little ones pick up on. What a wonderful reminder to be mindful of the example we are setting for the little eyes and ears that watch and listen so closely to our lives.

Ladies 2for2

I think I had mentioned in a prior post that I had been working on getting a new women's ministry group started at New Life. Well.....we are underway! We kicked off "Ladies 2for2" Monday evening at the church with 30 ladies present!

"Ladies 2for2" is a ministry based on the principles found in Acts 2:42 (hence Ladies 2for2). We are women, individually and as a group (2), devoted to caring for the needs of one another and our community (2). Our vision for this ministry is to become an outreach group for our congregation and community. Our hope is to fulfill the mission and promise of Acts 2:42-47 by focusing on things of Christ and the needs of others. Specifically, it is our desire to minister to members of our local congregation and community by showing them the love of Christ through our words and actions.

Everyone who attended was receptive and seemed to be excited by the prospect of working together toward a common goal for service to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Personally, I'm just so darn excited I could explode! I think this was a huge area of need for New Life and I can't wait to see how God will use us in the year to come!

Lord, please bless our efforts as we strive to do your will. Help us to remove the focus from ourselves and fix our eyes on You through service to others.

We go together like......

Last Tuesday was my birthday. My boss was gone so I took off work and stayed home with Noah. I spent most of the day in bed sick so it wasn't much fun. At one point I was lying in bed and Noah came and climbed in with me. He stretched out on top of me and said, "Mommy, you're a hotdog and I'm the bun." Too cute!

Bible Bowl Opening Day

Yesterday was our first Bible Bowl competition of the 2008-09 year. We have one senior division team and one beginner team this year. Our senior team is made up of Dylan Bjorklund, Jarrod Fizer, Dustin Flora, Hannah Pollitt and Maggie Pollitt and the beginner team is Jacob Fizer and Nate Watkins.

The senior team did well. They finished the day with a 4 - 2 record. And as always we are proud of them. But they've tasted victory before while the poor beginner team has always played with a lot of heart but never known success. Yesterday, our beginner team tied for 2nd based on their 5 - 2 record and finished 3rd based on their point total for the day. It's the first time they've ever placed. Nate and Jacob weren't really paying attention to what was going on, not expecting anything, and when they announced it Nate gasped and grabbed Jacob and yelled, "Jacob that's us! That's you and me!" They were so excited.

Also, prior to each meet every kid takes a written test over the material they've studied for the month. Jacob historically has never done well on the tests. He hates them and never applies himself. He actually usually ends up turning them in mostly blank. I think the highest he has ever scored is like 13. But yesterday he got 56 out of 67 correct! I was so proud I almost cried! It was a real confidence booster for him. Way to go, Jacob!

Cassanova & the Cat Fight

Noah is a boy of many faces. We call him many things around our home. Some in love, some in jest, and others, well others in pure frustration. One of his popular nicknames as of late around our house has been "Destructo." That child can come into a room and within 10 minutes it looks like a war zone. Another frequently heard one is "Clepto." He likes stuff. Any kind of stuff. Stuff to play with. Stuff to eat. Stuff to work with. All kinds of stuff. If he sees stuff he likes, he takes it. Doesn't matter if it's his stuff or not. He takes it and hides it in his room. The latest nickname though is "Cassanova." Noah is in love. Call it puppy love or preschool love, or maybe even forbidden love since we're talking abount a preacher's son and an elder's daughter. Call it whatever you want, but he's in LOVE. We're talking huggin', kissin', hidin' out in dark rooms alone LOVE. He's got a real thing for Kaela and it would appear that the feeling is pretty mutual from what I can tell.

But alas, in finding this new love, he has cast aside his summer love, Karlee. If what happened in Sunday School class yesterday is any indication, Karlee is not liking her new role as the jilted woman very well. It went something like this:

KARLEE (to Kaela who was hiding under the table with Noah): I hate you!

ME: Wait a minute. We don't hate anybody. You guys need to play together.

KARLEE: But she's stealin' my boyfriend.

KAELA: He's not your boyfriend. He's my boyfriend!

KARLEE: He was with me last night! (He wasn't. I'm not sure where that came from)

KAELA: We're gonna' get married and live here forever and ever!

At this point Karlee goes over and kisses Noah (who is standing quietly beside Kaela) on the cheek.

KARLEE (looking at Kaela): I kissed him!

KAELA: He's my boyfriend!

By this time I was laughing so hard I was nearly crying. I would have given anything to have had a video camera. And from what I understand from the nursery staff, the same kind of exchange went on all through church as well. Of course, for those of you who don't know, you have to understand that Kaela is 4, Noah is almost 4 (next week), and Karlee is 3. I don't remember my other two ever behaving like this at this age. I guess it's true that they start younger all the time.

But every player has to pay the piper at some point. Kaela was home sick from church last night with a fever. With all the kissin' that's been going on I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Noah catches the bug....and I'm not talking about the LOVE BUG!

So that's where it comes from!

Noah has just been full of it lately. He has said and done some of the funniest things. I have to share his latest but first I must post a warning (fine print) for the squeamish:

WARNING: This post contains references to bodily functions. If the thought of this brings on waves of nausea and/or fainting spells, please click away from this blog. The writer is not responsible for injuries/illness sustained by those who choose to read on.

Okay, here we go. Night before last after putting Noah to bed he got up wanting a drink of water. He came into the kitchen and got a big glass and filled it completely full. Seeing this, and thinking about the ramifications, I quickly took the glass from him and said, "Oh no. You're not drinking all that. You'll pee the bed for sure if you do." He looked at me for a minute with a puzzled look on his face and then he said, "You mean that water makes pee in me?" I said, "Yes. When you drink something it turns into pee later." He studied for a little while longer and then he said, "Well then, what does poop do?" Trying to keep a straight face, I said, "The food you eat turns into poop." He nodded his head, grabbed the glass and took a drink, handed it back to me and headed back to bed. Halfway across the room, he turned back around and just as serious as could be, he said, "I did not know that." and then trotted off to bed. He sounded so serious and grown up that I couldn't help from laughing. You could almost see the wheels turning in his little head and see him putting it all together.

He certainly is a cracker jack.

The Wheeeoooo

When Noah and I pulled up at church last Wednesday afternoon for Bible Bowl practice, he looked around the parking lot and wanted to know who was there already. I told him James, Christy and Jackie were there. This was the conversation that followed:

Noah: "What car is Jackie driving?"

Me: "The white truck over there."

Noah: "Oh. The one with the wheeeoooo on it."

Me: "Huh?"

Noah: "The one with the wheeeoooo on it."

Me: "What."

Noah: "The one with the wheeeoooo on it. You know, Mommy. Wheeeoooo, wheeeoooo, wheeeoooo."

You see, Jackie drives a company truck with a yellow light on top and I guess he thought it was a siren. I just about rolled. I was laughing so hard I nearly cried.

Mixed Emotions

Today has been a trying day. Have you ever wanted something so bad but you just weren't sure whether it was the right thing or not?

A few weeks ago I found out about a beautiful old victorian house that was going to be sold at public auction. It is exactly the house of my dreams. Big rooms with high ceilings, fireplaces in nearly every room, beautiful woodwork, lead glass doors, and a charming wrap around porch. It even had a little land and an inground pool. I mentioned to Darren that it was going to sell and that I really liked it. Turns out he really liked it, too, and someone in his family used to own it. We studied our options, talked to the bank and went to look at it. I absolutely fell in love with it. I could envision raising my children there, decorating it for Christmas, and hosting gatherings, doing all the things that families do.

The auction was this morning. We already knew how high we could go but something else was brought to our attention that would have allowed us to go a bit higher than we had planned. Another party was interested in part of the land that we didn't want and we could most likely make a deal with them. We were the first bid in and for a time we were the high bidder but then another party started bidding and I was afraid to go any further. You see, I'm not a risk taker. I am very resisitant to change and I am a planner. I want to know how everything is going to work and in what time frame. Darren was upset with me and accused me of letting my fear hold me back. And he may be right, but on the other hand, sometimes I'm not sure he has enough fear. That's probably why God put us together. Anyway, it sold for $1,000 over our last bid.

I've spent all day questioning myself. My heart says I made a big mistake but my head tells me I did the right thing by backing away. I had thought about it a lot and prayed about it a lot and I just couldn't be sure that it was the right thing to do. As badly as I wanted it, I wasn't willing to risk everything to have it. My heart is sick but my head tells me that God has provided a roof over my head (and it's a nice roof, even) and that we just really weren't in the right place in our lives to do this right now.

Oh well, what's done is done. It's just kind of sad and I hate second guessing myself.

Uplifted

Amy and I had our first Bible study tonight. We met at 7:30 p.m. at her house and I got home a little after 10:00. Our study only lasted about an hour but then we spent the rest of the time just talking. Wow! It was so uplifting! I enjoyed it more than I even expected to....and believe me I was really looking forward to it. I can't wait 'til next week already.

God is so amazing. I really needed a connection right now. I didn't realize just how much until tonight. Isn't it awesome that He knows what we need even before we do?