I am kind of relieved that we are not going camping this weekend. The thought of being out in all the rain and water just did not sound fun. But now we are not going. Hopefully we can still all get together sometime on Monday for a cook out of something, or a cook in as the rain will probably continue! Doesn't it rain EVERY Memorial Day?



The kids are playing with pretend makeup. We have those little foam rollers and the kids got into them and took them apart. Now they are taking the foam parts and pretending that it is makeup. And apparently they are playing go fish at the same time. Katherine is saying "Say do I have any nine" And Kaleb says "Do you have any nines?" Katherine says "No, go fish." Keep in mind they are still using the rollers! And now they are asking for 7's and 8's. It's really cute. Katherine just said "You're good at this!" They play so well together at times. They keep prompting each other what to ask and then the other will ask it. I'm probably the only one that really appreciates that!

Ok, I am getting really tired of Kaleb spitting milk everywhere. I thought that we had overcome that annoying habit, and now, not only has it continued, Kaleb has conveniently showed Abbey how to do it. Being 1 1/2, and always looking for attention, she too took up this hobby. Very frustrating.



Kaleb is in his room right now. First the milk spitting. Then he came into the giraffe and got up in the rocking chair. Abbey proceeded to climb up with him and Kaleb in return roughly shoved her out of the chair and onto the floor. It is around 6pm and I don't know when Kris will be home, but Kaleb is there for the duration. He cannot come out until daddy gets home.



I have to say one thing for the heat. I am so glad that it made the wood in the house swell because now the kids can't open the doors on their own, which means that Kaleb being in trouble in his room will last because he can't get out. I'm glad about that.



Well, I am officially done working now. It's kind of nice, the thought of not having to go to work. I don't miss it yet, but I think that I will. But I have such a great husband! He's always been so good about letting me get out and do my own thing if I need a break, and I am so glad that God gave him to me. Not just because of the support with the kids. I'm just feeling very loving towards him right now and I figure why keep it to myself. As long as I am rambling on I may as well ramble about him.



I am kind of looking forward to camping this weekend. It will be our first camping trip this summer (my 4th ever). I was really a lot more excited until I learned it is pretty much going to rain the entire time. Hopefully we won't have any rain coming in the tent this time. Still it should be fun??? I just hope that it is dry enough for the kids to play outside because I don't like the thought of being stuck in a tent for 4 days! At least we are close to home if we decide to call it quits.



Funny story. Katherine is playing with Abbey and she just said, "Ooh Abbey you're so cute." And then without missing a beat, like she is still all loving says "Ooh Abbey you're so poopy." I found it amusing. I don't write down their cute stuff enough. It seems like every time I turn around someone is being adorable but now I can't even remember half of it. I have to get better at that.

It sure has been a while since I've been back on here. I'm not sure why. I don't think I've been busier than usual. Maybe I have. I decided to quit my job, again. After much thought and talking and listening to the Holy Spirit, I have decided to just be home once again with the kids. I think it will be hard, but well worth it. And now my weekends will be free and I'll actually see Kris more than one night a week. And when I say see I mean actually spend good quality time with him, not just saying, hi, bye, see you next week.



Katherine is learning different letters. With help she has written Andy, Mommy, Kat (her nickname, not the animal--I do know how to spell cat), Katherine and Addie. How cute! It's so fun. She loves to learn and loves to show me that she can do it. She has learned A, B, and C, capital and lowercase and learned how to write 1, as well as spell one. So, now if I show her the word one, she can look at the letters and tell me how to spell it. Is anyone else impressed?



Kaleb is funny. At nap time today he was trying to lick me instead of kissing. That's not the funny part. So, I was getting upset with him and telling him that was gross and that if he didn't kiss me right I was just going to go out of his room. So, he hugged me and kissed me. And then he kept saying, a real kiss, a real hug. So I'd have to keep getting down there and hugging and kissing him. And then all of a sudden, with no warning, he said "Get out of here." I thought it was funny. A little mean, but still funny.



I am enjoying learning to play bridge. What a fun game. It's a mix of like every card game, much more involved and much more fun. I still love pinochle--don't get me wrong!!

But there's just something about bridge.

It was a year ago today that Bev died. I'm not even sure how to put my feelings down. To me it seemed to go fast, but I can't imagine what the last year was like for the Chamberlains. It's weird and unreal to think about still. When someone dies you kind of cling to that last memory you had of them while they were still alive. For me that moment is Jeff's senior chapel. I relive that moment in my mind and am filled with unbelief and confusion, wondering if it was real. Sometimes when I think about it and I picture the whole situation in my mind it seems like it was so unreal and like it couldn't have happened. But I know that it did. I don't know. I can't really describe what is in my heart right now. My prayers go out to those that knew Bev so much better than I did because I know that their grief is still very fresh and very real, and their loss is still so great.

I found out yesterday that Mrs. Keethler died. Wow. It's hard to bring all my thoughts together concerning this. What a sweet old lady. She was 95 years old, and had been married for over 70 years of her life. Can you imagine that? 70 years, the majority of your life, spent with someone you loved. My heart is so sad for Mr. Keethler. Talk about two people in love. What a testimony they were to Kris and I, and so many others of what a godly marriage should look like. They were unselfish, freely giving whatever they could for others. Dacia and I were talking about this last night. A couple Christmases ago, Mr. Keethler came up to Kris and I and gave us an envelope. He told us that each year he and Mrs. Keethler decide to give a gift to someone else, and one of them had chosen Kris and I. The other had chosen Dacia and Kyle. It wasn't just a gift for us. It was their gift to each other. In our envelope was $100 dollars. I know that I will never forget that example of love and selflessness. And I know I will never forget that couple that I would see at Dairy Queen, still having dates with one another. Holding hands, sweet as could be. From the time I met them, I told Kris over and over again that they are what I wanted to be. I want that kind of marriage, that kind of love and oneness with him. I know that it only comes from God and that Mr. and Mrs. Keethler lived life in such a way that you couldn't help but see God and feel his love and presence. Mrs. Keethler is with the Lord now, and how joyous that is for her. What will Mr. Keethler do now? How would you go on living a life that you had shared with another person for as long as you can remember? How do you continue to press on...what else is left to live for? May God bring him peace and comfort until the day He chooses to reunite them!

It is slow tonight at work-not a complaint at all!! I like when it is slow, except that at times it can get boring. One can only play so much spider solitaire. Some dummies decided to keep downloading stuff so they have banned any type of online game-which we used to be able to play. Now the choices are minesweeper, regular solitaire, spider solitaire and some cheap version of pinball.



I want to quit my job. Is that bad? I just started again in December. Any advice? Here's the situation. I love my job. I like the people, I like the call center environment, I like the customers...I just plain like it. The downsides: the 20 minute drive back and forth (especially since I work until 11pm), not being home in the evenings two nights when Kris is actually home, being REQUIRED to work one weekend day (and Friday is not considered the weekend), and the time that the job takes away from my own time to myself and time with my family. The benefits, besides liking my job?? There is only one. The money. What a sad benefit. Why have I become so dependent upon this job just for the money? I mean, I like the work, but that is a whole lot easier to give up than the money. We have so much debt, and while Kris' new job is significantly higher pay, we are going to have more expenses. Health insurance is more expensive, we have no life insurance as of 4/10/04 so if anything happens to any of us we are basically screwed--so we need to purchase that, at least for Kris. Gas prices have gotten out of hand so we spend more there, and Kris' commute farther so we use more gas. If I stopped working-the extra gas he uses would be made up for in the fact that I wouldn't be commuting also. I know that working gives me a sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and gives me adult conversation and a break from my real life, so that too would be difficult to give up.



But the benefits would be nice. We would have more time to devote to our family, more time to be involved in ministry, we could go back to counseling (although there would be another expense). Hmm...we could also do some camping this summer. As it is I work every Saturday night and they are all already closed through August, which means that if I wanted off some Saturday night, I can't take off.



How great it would feel to create a budget and then live off of it. Does anyone out there actually do this? We have a kind of budget. We know how much we need for all of our bills and we pay all of our bills and have money for groceries and diapers. I don't really think that is considered a budget.



There are my thoughts. I am kind of down tonight. I have felt incredibly tense the last week and can't figure out the source. Is it just satan, or have I put too much on myself??

I saw Addie yesterday. That was nice. She is finally back from Europe and I am glad. I think I would have gone crazy if I had to go much longer with out my weekly break from reality! She brought me a giraffe from Italy-it's made of mahogany (sp??). It's cool. We made our usual Target run-how fun for us!



I changed my work schedule. I only work 3 nights now, instead of 4 and it is really nice. This week I worked Monday/Tuesday and then will work Saturday. It has been really nice after Tuesday to just sit at home and think, well, I don't have to go back to work until Saturday. I love my job--the commute is getting old though, as is not being home in the evenings when Kris is home. He seems to really like his new job. I think that's great! We'll see as time goes on what kind of pressure it will have with it-hopefully an insignificant amount.



I am really enjoying learning to play Bridge. It's difficult and confusing but the parts I am beginning to understand are a lot of fun! It's cool too that we get to learn from Jim and Mary, because that means we get to be spending time with them.



I am not really concerned about Abbey's hearing, because she listens. She understands when I tell her to do something. She puts her cup on the table, sits down, finds her blanket and plug, hugs/kisses her brother and sister...pretty much anything I tell her to do she does. But she just doesn't really talk. Not even mama or dada. That's what concerns me is that she should at least being saying those words. She needs her 15 month and 18 month shots so when I take her in for that I'll check with the doctor.

I have been really edgy lately. Does anyone have a cure for that. I didn't take my medicine for like 3 days and I know that was a big part of it. How sad! I really wish I could be calm and relaxed and my old self (not the sin "old self"-just my happy, somewhat calm old self) WITHOUT medication. But I am okay with the fact that I may never be able to. It definitely helps me, so I will keep taking it until God leads me in another direction.



I still do not have my iud out. After two different cancellations (both on the part of the doctor's office) Kris and I have decided to spend a little more time praying about the decision. I hate the way I have felt since I have had it in, but I think this new medicine is making a bigger difference than the old, and maybe that will be enough. We'll keep praying. I know I don't want more kids right now (maybe never) and so it sure is easier to just leave the thing in and not have to worry about it. I will wait for God's direction on that as well.



The kids went to VBS this morning at FCC of Florissant. Just the older ones. Abbey and hung out for a couple of hours. It was so cool though. I forgot to tell Kris this, but they had no problems separating and going to their classes and when I went to pick them up the cutest thing happened. I tear up just thinking about it. Children love you and others so easily. I picked Kaleb up first and then we went to find Katherine's room. She saw me and exclaimed "Mommy!" That wasn't the cute part. When she got over to me she saw Kaleb standing right in front of me and went straight to him and hugged him. She didn't say anything to anyone, she just hugged him. It was the cutest thing I think I've seen her do. What else but love could motivate that?



They are going to go all week, so long as I get them up and over there. And at the end of the week they will have a little program for the parents to see what the kids have learned. Did you ever think it adorable when the little tiny kids got up in front of church to sing or say Scripture? There's always a couple kids who are really cute and don't do things just as they are supposed to?? I always thought that was cute and now I'll get to see my kids up there. I wonder if either of them will be the real cute ones that stand out. We'll see. I'm sure they will stand out to Kris and I anyway, whether they do something to distract the attention from the whole group or not. Katherine knows her memory verse from today "Love one another." It's so cool.



Abbey still is not talking. Dacia--should I be concerned? She says uh oh, and she says ok on a pretty regular basis, but everything else is just noise. She doesn't say mama or dada at all. This seems odd to me, as she is 18 months old already. Hmm...

I wrote this last night but could not get it to post, so I am going to try again today.



Here is my kid story for today. I am working tonight and on my fifteen minute break I called Kris. Soon after he told me all the kids were in bed I hear this little voice, up out of bed. I wasn't really surprised because Katherine always has at least one excuse every night after she's gone to bed. Usually it is this: "I just need to ask one question." And usually the question is not anything earth-shattering. So, I hear her come out and she starts telling Kris to tell me that she wants me to come in her room when I get home. And I hear Kris say, "Why don't you tell mommy yourself." So, Katherine, half on the phone/half off (because her voice seemed farther away than usual) starts saying "Mommy, um mommy, um can you, um mommy, can you, um I want daddy to tell you to come into my room when you get home and give me a hug and a kiss." Then she said bye and I love you and back to bed she went! How funny! She gets on the phone, we're thinking to tell me to come in when I get home. BUT NO! She wants to get on the phone and tell me that she wants daddy to TELL me to come in! We had a great laugh over that, Kris and I did!

Well, I don't have the greatest story to tell about how great the kids were. Actually the story is about their bad behavior, but it sure is a cute story--at least I think so. I was at the computer, and Katherine had gone into the bathroom. I told her to get out of there-she informed me she needed to go potty. So, I told her to go and then shut the door. She came into the kitchen and I asked her if the door was shut so the others wouldn't go in there, and she went to look. So, I thought that was the end of the matter.



Well, after about 15 minutes of complete silence, I began to wonder what was going on. I knew it could not be something good that mommy would approve of. So, I start to get anxious because I think the kids might be in the bathroom. Sure enough, that is exactly where I found them. It is more than that though. Here is the picture-are you ready?



I go into the hallway and look into the bathroom. The water is running in the sink. Abbey is sitting on the floor, Katherine standing by the sink, and Kaleb on his knees UP ON THE SINK! Now, normally I would have been really frustrated and started yelling at them and getting them out of there. BUT...do you know what they were all 3 doing?? Ready? They all had a toothbrush in hand and were busy brushing their teeth! What mother could argue with that? It was kind of cute. It definitely helped me not to get so angry! I don't know who turned the water on--I can only guess it was Kaleb, as he was the one actually ON the sink!



Abbey is being quite busy right now. She's getting into things and just plain busy! She gets like that, especially when she is tired. I will put her down for bed soon. Katherine and Kaleb have been on the couch in the living room for about half an hour, watching Oliver and Company. After Kris got home I went to the library, picked up some videos, got some food for a pizza party with the kids and we had a nice dinner and now they get to watch their movie. It is nice and somewhat quiet here, aside from busy little Abbey, who is just playing and jabbering, so I don't mind it!



So, that is how I am wrapping up my evening and it is definitely better than I thought it would be. My attitude is even better, which I am sure is making the biggest difference! It's off to play canasta and RELAX!!!

Oh that nap time really were that-NAP TIME!! Abbey was sleeping until the non-sleeping children got too loud and woke her up. Kaleb decided that apparently he didn't need a nap today and so he began to fight with Katherine. I got them separated and lying down, and then they both got up and now Abbey is awake. Not the best nap time we've had!



And I think they are purposely bad on the days when they know I will not get a break at all from being mommy. Kris is going out tonight with some friends, and so I get the kids ALL day. I know most women think, yeah, so what? Well, when you're not used to constantly having them with no break all the time, it's difficult to imagine a night with no husband around to relieve you!! I like that he is hanging out with the guys, but I hate that it leaves me home alone. And I swear, EVERY time he is not going to be my relief in the evening, the kids are so much worse. I don't think I'm making it up!!



Can you tell I am frustrated and tense? Oh well--bedtime is about 6 hours away, just 6 hours. Surely I can hold out that long! Dacia you know what I'm talking about--those days when you just can't wait until bedtime!! Today is one of those days.



Hmm...what is there that is good that I can share, since this has taken a very negative turn?? I'll have to think about it and come back to it later...maybe I'll think of something after they are all nicely sleeping in their beds for the night!

Jenn--Thanks for responding! I logged on today and found that yes, it did indeed work! I was happy! The small things amuse (and frustrate) me.



Katherine helped me cook today--she loves to help! She is so funny. She asks what everything is and then wants to help me pour in every ingredient. And she is so amused and excited that there are dandelions and violets out in the front yard. She didn't hear it from me or Kris, but everytime she goes outside now and sees the flowers she says "Mommy look at the flowers. That means it's almost springtime." Who taught her that? Who told her that flowers bloom in the spring? Kris and I cannot figure it out, but personally, I think she's super intelligent! :)



Kris has only 2 days left at Met. They are having a going away party for him tomorrow. And some guy wrote Kris a really nice card and then gave his a $25 gift card to Applebees. I know where he's taking me to dinner tomorrow night! Ha ha. Seriously--he's taking me there!



Work is kind of crazy tonight. It goes back and forth between busy and slow. And for some reason I keep getting stuck in the split to take claims rather than help people on old claims. Every now and then I don't mind, but we have 11 people in customer service and everytime it gets busy in IAT (where new claims are taken) I am always one of the first to get stuck in IAT. I don't understand this. I was of the understanding that all of us customer service reps would cycle through and help out IAT but it seems like I am ALWAYS put there. And I know some people aren't because there are always like 4 in customer service, and I am usually not one of them when it is busy! Oh well...I shouldn't be complaining about it. I really don't mind taking claims--I rather enjoy it for the most part. Isn't that crazy? I get so frsutrated for being put in this split to take claims, even though I don't mind taking the claims. I think it is the principle of the whole thing! Okay, I'm done with that--thanks for letting me vent! Maybe I will change my attitude now. We'll see.

I'm getting REALLY frustrated. I am trying to add my friend Beth as a link on here and when I add her, she is only showing up as a link in my archived blogs. Does anyone know why that is happening? When I go into the template to look at it, the coding is there and when I preview the template her name is there--but when I actually go to the page, she is not appearing! AHHH!! Jenn Reedy: help!!!



Well, work is about over for me and I need to get ready to leave! I'm sleepy tonight. I have to bake a cake tomorrow. They are having a going away party for Kris at work on Thursday and I am making Milky Way cake-yummy!

It has been a little while since I've been on here. Things have been really busy. This week, though, it seems that they are slowing down for a little bit. I went to Chicago this weekend with Beth Cox. It was fun. We just drove out, got a hotel and went from there--no plans, no expectations. It was fun. Although, in case anyone wonders, Navy Pier does not open up until 10am. We did not know this, however. So, we got downtown and parked at Navy Pier at 8am. So, now, what are we going to do for two hours?? Well, Beth decides we should just walk around. I was skeptical--it was cold!! The wind, of course, was strong and it was just downright cold! But we began walking. After we got past Navy Pier, the wind died down a bit and the sun began to shine. It was still cold, but at least it was bearable. At some point our fingers and toes began to "dethaw." Is that even a word? Well, we found a starbucks after about a half hour of walking, and to our surprise and happiness, it was OPEN!!! We went in and had some hot chocolate, and then sat in there for a little bit. Then we braved the cold again, and found a McDonald's and a Dunkin Donuts as we were walking along, both of which were also open. Pretty much NOTHING else was!



I fed a homeless man Sunday morning. He reminded me of some of the guys that Crossroads works with. He was wrapped up in a blanket and standing outside of McDonald's. I wanted some orange juice, so I just bought a meal, kept the OJ for myself and handed him the bag. All I could think of was that Scripture that talks about whatever we do to the least of these, we have done unto Christ. It felt good to be obedient. I think I would have felt awful if I hadn't given him the food. There was another guy, though trying to give us coupons for money--I did not give him money. There is no harm in giving someone food. And if he really wanted to eat, he would have just used his coupons for food, not try to get money for them. I did not feel bad for taking this course of action, however.



I go back to work tonight. I've been off for a while, it seems. The last time I worked was last Wednesday. I'm glad to be going back. I still like my job. I got employee of the month, which was rather exciting, except that someone keeps parking in my parking spot. Whenever I go in to work to park there, there is this same Nissan Pathfinder there. I want to know who that is. Was there some mistake--did they think that THEY were employee of the month? Really, though I don't care--I do find it amusing and wonder if I will ever get to park there. Kris pointed out though that it really is a terrible parking spot--it is kind of narrow and right next to a wall. Maybe I should be thankful the Nissan Pathfinder is parking there!

God just continues to bless and provide for us. The water problem in the basement turned out NOT to be a crack in the foundation, as we were fearing. Instead, somehow the sump pump had gotten turned off, causing the water to back up into the house. While we still have to make some repairs, it will be a LOT less expensive than repairing cracks! Praise the Lord!



I'm excited. I put a deposit down for our 5 year anniversary in June. I found a great little place on a river, that has suites with hot tubs and canoeing right there on site. I think it will be fun. We are going to be hanging out with Cindy and Dean somewhere the first part of the week, but then Kris and I will have 4 days to travel/hang out/relax on our own without the kids. I'm excited. We are going to a place near Eureka Springs, AR. Someone at work told me about Eureka Springs and suggested I check it out--so I did. I think there is going to be a Blues Festival going on that weekend too, which Kris will love! They have a passion play--I have tickets for it already, but I may change my mind and try to do something else. There is also a magic show I want to see, and since I have seen "The Passion of the Christ" I am thinking that the passion play won't compare and that I will be too critical of it! We'll see. I'll talk to Kris about it and see what he wants to do.



Abbey said the word "more" today. I asked her if she wanted more juice and told her to say "more" and she did. It was adorable!! So now the words that I know I have heard her say for sure are "more" and "uh oh." She will push things down or drop them, and then say "uh oh." I think she throws things down on purpose so she can say it. It's cute!

Owning a home can be frustrating. What I thought was just a minor water problem in the basement is a lot larger than I thought. It is extremely wet down there; I had to put shoes on just to do laundry. So, as I go down there to do laundry, I find that the water has come under the walls, into the laundry room and has absorbed into the clothes that are down there. Because I thought this was a minor problem, for all I know these clothes have been wet since Sunday, at the latest. Well, I thought "I guess I'm motivated to finish the laundry." That would have been a good idea, except that when I went to put the clothes in the dryer, the dryer won't work. So I still have a bunch of wet, smelly clothes down there, just sitting because I can't do anything with them. But I guess it doesn't really matter because I'm out of detergent now also. It's been a very frustrating day. Hopefully work will be relaxing for me, and not stressful!!

Does anyone ever wonder why God made our bodies to get rid of the bad stuff by vomiting?? Why would that be the best way? Surely there could have been some other way! But who am I to argue with God? I just think it is strange. Katherine was sick last night. Kids are so funny too, the way the think through things. She said her belly hurt because the spaghetti was trying to get out of her throat. That's how her little mind understands vomiting.



Has anyone heard the song by Evanescence "Tourniquet"? That's one of those songs that could either be Christian or not. It's hard to tell. Look at these words--up until the last line, I think these are "Christian" lyrics.



I tried to kill the pain, But only brought more. (So much more)

I'm dying,And I'm pouring, crimson regret, and betrayal.

I'm dying, Praying, Bleeding, Screaming.

Am I too lost to be saved ? Am I too lost ?

My God! My Tourniquet, Return to me salvation.

My God! My Tourniquet, Return to me salvation.

Do you remember me ? Lost for so long. Will you be on the other side ?

Will you forgive me ? I'm dying, Praying, Bleeding, Screaming.

Am I too lost to be saved ? Am I too lost ?

My God! My Tourniquet, Return to me salvation.

My God! My Tourniquet, Return to me salvation.

(Return to me salvation)

(I want to die!)

My God! My Tourniquet, Return to me salvation.

My God! My Tourniquet, Return to me salvation.

My wounds cry for the grave. My soul cries, for deliverance.

Will I be denied ? Christ! Tourniquet! My suicide.



Why would she be singing that Christ is her suicide?? What can that mean?

I am enjoying a nice game of canasta as I wind down from being at work. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't lost! I got off work at 11:15pm and it was still so beautiful outside. I think it was holding steady in the upper 60's. I love when the weather gets warmer. We can actually open the windows at night and sleep with the fresh air coming in. I love it! It always makes me thankful to God that such things can exist. That's one of those small, simple things for me that is a reminder that God exists and that He is good.



On a sad note, my friend Addie is leaving next weekend for a trip to Europe. I am thrilled for her, but sad that we won't have our weekly ritual of sitting around in our underwear playing playstation--oh wait--that's guys that do that, isn't it?? Don't panic, anyone--we do NOT do that! Our hanging out consists of either going to Target or some other store that our husbands want us to stop shopping at so frequently. I am sure I will survive a couple of weeks without her, but I will really miss her. She had better bring me something back! Ha ha--just kidding Addie if you're reading this! :)



On a happier note, I am leaving next weekend too. Not to go to Europe which would be awesome, but to go to Springfield, IL. What's in Springfield IL?? My friend Beth Cox is there. I get to spend the whole weekend out there with her. I am looking forward to seeing her again. We should have a lot of fun, and NO KIDS!!! Kris will spend the weekend taking care of the kids. I only feel slightly bad because he is also preaching that weekend. But I know he will do just fine. When it comes down to it, we all do what we have to do, don't we? I'm sure I will miss the kids, but probably not enough to regret taking a trip without them.

It's a beautiful day outside. Katherine and Kaleb are playing Candyland together in the sunroom. Abbey is in there too, but I am not sure what she is doing--getting in to things she is not supposed to I imagine. She is starting to talk more, which is always fun. I don't know what words she's attempting to say, but it is cute to hear it anyway. She says "momma" sometimes, but never in reference to me. Oh well-I know she'll get there someday.

I went grocery shopping today. I know you're all excited! But that's a good thing for me. It's been a long time since I actually went to the grocery store with a menu planned out and bought only the things I would need for those meals. I spent more than I wanted to, but some things I bought in bulk and that will make groceries for the next few weeks cheaper. Anyway, for the first time in a LONG time the fridge is full and I think I am ready to start cooking again. I've been kind of apathetic towards cooking (and most other things) recently, so it feels good to have some real food and a goal in mind. I'm sure Kris will be thrilled that he will actually get a home cooked meal again.



It's only 10:30pm but I'm rather tired for this time of night. Abbey was up a lot last night--she has a new tooth coming in and so that was bothering her. We didn't figure it out until about 2 hours after we'd been getting up and down with her. But once I put that baby orajel in her mouth she went to sleep and slept until almost 9:30am. If only the actual solution was my first thought!!!



We all went to lunch with Ken (Kris' dad) today. He came in for Brandon's doctor appt. and we went to lunch beforehand. It was good to see him and chat with him. Brandon is preparing to go through chemotherapy in a couple of weeks, so I know that will be stressful time for Cindy and all involved. Extra prayers would be much appreciated! I think it will be hard for Brandon, but he's strong and I know God can bring him through it safely. He will be in the hospital for 5 days, then go back for 2 consecutive weeks for a shot, and then he will spend another 5 days in the hospital for the treatment.



I read something interesting today in 1 Tim. 4:7 & 8 "Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in this life and the next." I just thought that was cool, especially the part about the reward being both in this life and the next. Physical exercise is good, but only benefits us in this life. Spiritual exercise is even better and the rewards will carry on into physical death and the eternal life that follows.



Something else I read this morning struck me. In 1 Tim. 1:12&13 Paul writes "How thankful I am to Christ Jesus our Lord for considering me trustworthy and appointing me to serve him, even though I used to scoff at the name of Christ." That's me...I spent a lot of time (and at times still fall into this trap) focusing on things other than Christ, and making them such a priority that in a way I was (am) scoffing Christ. And despite that, God has still called me to serve Him, and considers me trustworthy, when my actions have been anything but that. God really is an awesome God!!