Life Outside the Bubble

It’s really not too bad out here.  Really.  At first it was bad and then it got really, really bad, but now it’s actually kinda good.  Weird, right?  Let me explain.

I feel like we’re on this journey.  I guess we’ve always been, but right now it just feels like we’ve hit a brand new terrain, and it’s beautiful.  It actually started before Geric lost his job.  

We went to the Refuge.  Have you been there?  If not, you should.  If you’re anything like me, you’re probably freaked out to go there because you’ve heard all the rumors, like I did… people falling over, rolling on the floor, dancing with gigantic flags, getting all “drunk in the Spirit.”  I will not deny that some of those things do happen.  Is it authentic?  Maybe, maybe not, but who am I to judge?  Is it biblical?  Not totally sure, but who am I to put God in a box and say that He couldn’t make all those things happen?  I mean, He did create the universe, right?  I do know that I was so offended by all the goings-on over there, that I missed out on the beauty that they had a hold of.

So, Geric and I went there and we were prayed over by some intercessors.  It was the first time that I had people I didn’t know pray over me and prophesy… which was something else that TOTALLY weirded me out.  But, guys, it’s awesome.  All it is, is hearing what God thinks about you.  And He thinks you’re pretty amazing, you know???  So, these ladies spoke these words over us that truly, truly touched me heart.  They saw things in us that they only could have seen had they been listening to God.  It really rocked my world.

So, fast forward… after Geric lost his job, we went on a little retreat in Missouri.  We flew into Kansas City so we stopped by the International House of Prayer, not be confused with the International House of Pancakes!  Ha!  Anyway, this place was amazing.  It looks like a church with a band up front worshipping and someone reading the Bible on and off, but the difference is, they don’t stop… ever.  They are praying right now and they’ll be praying whenever it is that you read this, and the next day and the next day and the next day, 24/7.  It’s pretty cool.  We had some women pray for us there also, and it was another awesome experience.  

I’m not sure what the rules are with the prophetic, but I’m gonna share a little of what they told me… I hope I’m not breaking the rules!  J/K  One woman told me that she kept seeing Proverbs 31, like I’m the Proverbs 31 woman.  Not to toot my own horn, but she was totally right on, don’t you agree?  ;)  She said that the one of the verses that was highlighted to her was the verse that said “She is clothed in strength and dignity.”  Then she looked at me and said that she saw my strength like a tower and I would be holding up my husband for right now.  It seriously gave me chills, because, hello, my husband is feeling a little defeated right about now.  He needs a little holding up, and at the moment I wasn’t sure I was up to it, but that sure made me feel strong.  Isn’t God awesome?

So we went on our retreat, came home, suffered a few bumps in the road and landed ourselves back at the Refuge for Jake’s CD release party.  We got prayed for again by an amazing couple that ran a prayer house in San Francisco, because now I’m just totally addicted to hearing God’s voice and His love for me.  Between those two prayer warriors and Jake’s incredible worship, there was just this shift with us.  

I can’t explain it, but the best way I can say it is that God has done a miracle for us.  It’s like He’s had this gigantic box filled with His love and we’ve just been peeking in when we feel like it, but now we’ve jumped in head first.  I seriously feel like my relationship with God is so much more that it used to be, so much more that I even knew it could be.  I never knew the depth of His love the way that I know it now.  I know my words could never acurately describe what we’ve been through or the experiences that we’ve had, but it’s just been amazing.  I can say with confidence that I’m glad our bubble burst.  I’m glad we were forced to go on this new journey, because it is just so beautiful and so fulfilling, and so much more than I could have ever dreamed.

It kind of feels like (in the words of my friend, Nicci) like we’ve jumped off this cliff and we’re soaring through the air, but instead of being afraid of hitting the bottom, we’re just soaring.  We know God will take care of us, and we’ll land safely, so right now we’re just soaring in His presence.  And yes, some people may look at us like we’re crazy and frantically wave their arms and shout, “You’re not going to be okay!  The ground is coming quickly!  Do something!”  But I know the voice of God, and it’s louder than all those other voices and He’s already told me that’s it going to be okay.

So that’s the past two months in a nutshell.  I’m back in the blog world.  Although I didn’t really miss it, so I’m not sure how often I’ll be here, but I’m back.

The Bubble Burst

I’m going back and forth about writing this post.  Most likely, I’ll type it all out, proofread it a gazillion times, and let it sit in my drafts until I decide whether or not to publish it.  But if you’re reading it, I suppose I published it.

A few months ago I was sitting with Geric in our living room and we were talking about how it felt like a lot of people around us were really getting put through the wringer.  We knew people with illnesses, major financial problems, sick children, and other heart breaking tragedies.  My exact words to him at that time were, “Doesn’t it just feel like we’re in this bubble and we’re so blessed?”

Well, the bubble burst.  

I’m not going to give too much detail, and please don’t ask, but we’re getting to spend our own time in the wringer.  And it sucks.  

One thing I can share is that Geric lost his job at Water of Life.  Once again, I’m not giving any details… if you know what’s going on it’s because I want you to know.  If you don’t, then I know I can’t stop you from speculating or gossiping or whatever else people do when something big like this happens, but perhaps, instead, you could just pray for us.  It happens.  We’ll get through it.  

Another thing I can share is that we are so blessed to be surrounded by so many caring people that truly, truly love us in ways that I didn’t even know.  So many people inside and outside of Water of Life have rallied around us and held us close when we needed it the most.  I feel like I have seen God’s face so clearly through this experience, so when it starts to feel too sad and too scary, the love that I feel from my Father consumes me and reassures me that we’re going to be okay.  Yes, He’s stretching us.  Yes, He’s growing us.  But through this, we will become stronger.

Anyway, all this to say, I’m going to be taking a hiatus from this here blog.  It just feels kinda weird to be going through so much and posting things like “Family Night” or my cute kids.  (Even though they are so stinkin’ cute.)  I’m not sure when I’ll be back.  I guess when it feels right.  I’m still going to check all your blogs and email to keep in touch so I’m not falling off the planet or anything, just stepping back for a minute.

Keep us in your prayers.

My Married Teat-a-Leat-Teat-Teat

I was sooooooo excited that I got to see my beautiful Teamer (AKA Robin Hanna) get married last Friday at CBC.  Although I think she was a little crazy and thought we were still in Honduras and planned her evening wedding for OUTSIDE!  I froze my tookus off!

Here’s Geric and I all ready to go.  Notice how I’m not wearing a jacket?  Bad move.

 

I know this is a bad picture, but here’s Robin and Jeff saying their vows. That’s Jim Mann in the background. The wedding was totally a blast from the past. We saw the Manns, Larkins, Ackers, and of course the Holtrusts. And the photographer was a jr. higher in my cabin at summer camp one year (the stinky one Stef, the cabin, not the girl… she said it scarred her. I don’t blame her.)

 

And here they are cutting the cake.  Look at all the strawberries!  Yummy!

 

And here’s the four of us.

 

I was so happy to be there and see her and be a part of her special day (well, one of her three special days!  She got married in Honduras, here, and in Washington!  Way to put some miles on that fancy dress!)  But it just made me miss her to see her for a little bit and then say goodbye.  I’m trying to get Geric to take the jr. highers to Honduras so I can be reunited with my Teater for longer than an hour.  :)

Backwards Night

I left Geric in charge of Family Night a few weeks ago and he came up with Backwards Night as our theme.  It turned out to be a super fun night!!!

Before dinner we took baths and put on our jammies.  Because we usually do that after dinner.

 

We ate breakfast for dinner, which is actually a really good idea because the boys ate it up!

 

After dinner we did a backwards obstacle course.  I set it up in the play room and we all took turns going through it backwards.  I’m pretty sure Caden won… he always does!

 

Then we pretended like Family Night was over and we turned on a show for the boys to watch before they go to bed.  BUT… half way through the show I turned off the TV, which totally freaked out Caden because, “HEY!  I was watching dat!!” But then I told him that it’s backwards night, so instead of going to bed, we’re going to go out… to the MOVIES!!!!  Here’s him taking a few minutes to process the good news.

 

So we loaded up the boys and went to the drive in that’s a few minutes from our house to watch Monsters vs. Aliens.  

 

First of all, that was a funny movie.  You should see it with your kids because it’s enjoyable.  Secondly, you should take your kids to the drive in. It’s way fun!  You don’t have to worry about sitting still or making too much noise and both my boys sat through most of the movie (Caden sat through it all) which is saying A LOT!

So, Backwards Night was a success!  Geric is going to be in charge more often!

Easter

I know, I know, I’ve been gone for over a week and my computer is fully functioning! The horror!  Honestly, I’ve been trying to spend less time in general on this here thing (because I feel like a non-neglectful mommy when I do) and Caden has discovered pbskids.com and is basically hogging all my computer time!  But today I think I’m going to write a few posts and spread them out over the next few days so people stop complaining… Rachel… Bridget.  :)   

I’ve been backed up for awhile.  (Not in the digestive way, in the photographic way.) Here’s our Easter.

The DeVincenzo’s came over to our house on Saturday since Geric worked on Sunday.  The shirts I finally settled on were ones that I found in their closet!  After the whole fiasco at Kohl’s it was kind of humorous actually!  But don’t they look cute???

 

Gammy and cousin Kristyn helped the boys decorate their Easter eggs.

 

I decorated the table and made these cute cookies with everyone’s initials on them as place settings.  They were yummy!

 

Geric and his dad reminded us of the reason for the season!

 

Caden had some cuddle time with Auntie Tiff.

 

Then we went on the egg hunt.

 

We hunted for resurrection eggs this year and after all the eggs were found Geric told the story of Easter.  I was surprised at how attentive Caden was.  But he’s really into the Eater story right now.  The other day in the car he said to me, “Mommy, let’s talk about Jesus died on the cross.”  He told the whole story about how there were bad guys that put Jesus on the cross and he dies and they put him in a cave and he rolled the rock out of the way and said, “I’m alive!”  He melts my heart, that one.

 

Sunday was a work day for Geric and we skipped church.  I know, bad, very bad.  But the way I look at it, I was freeing up a seat for someone who might have had to sit in the big white overflow tent.  Because of my generosity they were able to watch a live Easter service.  What can I say?  I’m a servant.

On Sunday afternoon we went to my mom and dad’s.  The boys got more treats there including these cute little ducks.  On sings “Splish Splash” and the other one sings… something else, I forget.  But they love them!  And I love to wake up to them in the morning.  :)

 

My Dad was a very generous Easter bunny this year and gave my mom a Wii!!!  I’d never played it before.  But it was so fun!  Here’s a couple of action shots.

 

We had another Easter egg hunt.  Maw and Pop helped out.

 

Anyone noticed who was left out of Easter pictures??? ME! What the heck!?!?!

Kids in the Mud

What’s more fun than making a giant mud puddle and sitting in it with your brother?  I can think of nothing…

except maybe doing a faceplant in it.

He didn’t even cry! What a boy!

Springin’ into Family Night

I know, you have been inundated with Family Nights.  But I wasn’t on the internet for three weeks and we do them once a week, so after this one I still have a couple more for you.  If you’re sick of reading about them, don’t read, but since this is like scrapbooking for me, I have to record our memories!

A couple of weeks ago our theme was Spring!

We bought these flowers at the grocery store that morning. Aren’t they sooooo pretty. I learned later that if you want tulips to stand up straight and not look all floppy and dead out of the side of you vase, you stick a pin in the stem up at the top by the flower. Good tip. Too late for me though. I just trimmed the stems really short.

In the morning the boys and I painted spring masks. I found these at Joann’s in the 99 cent bin. They loved painting them.



The finished products!

During the day we hung out in the backyard because the weather was so pretty.


Jacob even mowed the lawn.

For dinner we had a flower pizza, spring salad, and a spring chicken! Haha!


Of course we wore our masks to dinner.

After dinner we did one more craft (because we’re crafty like that) and we painted birdhouses to hang outside. We even put some birdseed in them, but no birds have been eating out of them. What’s up with that?

And for dessert, we had strawberry shortcakes! Mmmmmmm, yummy!

Happy spring… even though it feels like we skipped spring and jumped right into summer!

Rewind: St. Patty’s Day

We had an impromptu family night for St. Patrick’s Day.  It was impromptu because I was just planning on eating a green dinner, but it turned into something more… so, so much more!  :)

For breakfast the boys ate some yummy green pancakes.

Then we put on some green and headed out for a playdate with our long lost friends Ezra and Nicci. (Geneva was at school and Judah was sleeping.)

After we got home the boys took a nap and then we made green shortbread cookies that we turned into ice cream sandwiches with mint ice cream that we ate for dessert.

For dinner we ate pesto and salad. I know, I know corned beef and cabbage is the typical Irish meal, but seriously? That sounds disgusting.

After dinner we went on a rainbow hunt. This was so much fun. We walked around our neighborhood and we had to find something that was each color of the rainbow. I told Caden that at the end, we may just find some gold. Here’s how it went:

Red:

Orange:

Yellow:

Green:

Blue:

Perhaps I should have wiped away the eye boogie?

Purple:

Then, when we got back home there was gold waiting at our front door!!!

So, St. Patrick’s Day turned out to be super fun! Who knew?

It’s Fun Being a Mommy

A story in which I play the role of humiliated mother pushing a cart of toddlers…

The week before Easter I took the boys into the 99 cent store and we saw a woman browsing the aisles that had a rather large derriere (pronounced dairy air.)  Anywho, when we were about five feet from this woman Caden points and shouts, “Mommy look!  That lady has a really big hiney!”

And just in case the award for the worst mom in the world is still available…

Apparently I suffer from a small case of road rage.  I don’t cuss or flip people off but I do say things like, “Stupid lady!” or “What an idiot!” and now… so does Caden… to people at church… twice.

Feet

It’s not new news that I don’t enjoy feet.  I think it’s normal.  Who really wants someone’s nasty, yucky feet all up in their lap?  You know you don’t either!  

But I can say this, I love baby feet!  I absolutely LOVE my babies feets!  :)  I thought since becoming a mommy that maybe my own kid’s feet are the exception to my feet phobia.  I thought that I would just love their little feet forever and tickle the bottoms and eat their toes and all that good stuff.  

But then I looked at Caden’s feet the other day and I thought, his feet are not baby feet anymore.  They are more like boy feet.  And, sure, I’ll still tickle them, but I’m definitely not eating his toes anymore!  When did his cute little pudgy feet go from this

to this?

 

I don’t like this growing up thing.  It stinks.