A new Sheriff (deputy) in town

Guess who's really excited that someone started working a new job today?? (Braeden) Guess who's really excited that someone is finally working at a job that he has wanted to do all his life?? (Tony) Guess who thinks that a man in uniform is by far one of the biggest turn-ons there is??? (oh, that would be me)Guess who is really, really bummed that Daddy has to go to police academy for two months? (again, that would be me - 2 months of nightly races to the ball-field and having to wake up early to take the kids to school in my pajamas.... I need my man there to take care of the hard stuff!!)

CONGRATULATION OFFICER-TO-BE WAGES! WE LOVE YOU AND ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!

**Tony will be working as a school resource officer at 3 of our local schools. Looking back, we think that this is a job that God had prepared for him all along to do -- with his background and childhood experiences, he will be an awesome, Christian, role model for those kids that has already dealt with every issue they may be struggling with. And if you take into consideration the 10-15 kids who have loved to play ball with him in our front yard, I know that the kids will love him. (But not as much as we do...)

Innocence (thank goodness!)

Those of you who know us personally know that my second child is the one who is most likely to make someone laugh. Most likely to get hurt in strange ways. And Most likely to leave his mother speechless. Can't you just see the mischievousness in his eyes? (And doesn't he look like Eminem? With a turtle shell on.. Scary)

So this past week, my sister and her family came to visit for the New Year's Holiday. Tony was working at the bowl game many states away and I loved having company to keep away any under 10 boredom for those 4 days. Anyway, we let the boy's stay up for the ball dropping on 2009 and as New York City was celebrating 2010 - yelling, screaming, and kissing each other -

Braeden breaks out in a huge smile and says "did you see that girl? She was having sex with that guy with glasses!!" What???????????? "She was having sex with the guy with glasses on!" Ohhhh, Miss Announcer girl kissed her husband who was wearing black rimmed glasses. So glad my 6, almost 7, year old still equates kissing with having sex. Hopefully the fear of getting a girl pregnant will keep him far from first base for a long, long time. You just keep thinking that buddy... although I'm not sure where you are getting your sex education from. Should I be worried?

And I'm not sure what he has against men in glasses....

Just to share, here is my artist with his snowman he made from cookie dough. Seriously?? How cute is that? Too bad we ate him 30 minutes later. Frosty was good with frosting.

One of the 4 of us I had them take for my husband's new desk at his new most awesome-est job ever. Thank you again Jesus. And to prove that I do get in front of the camera from time to time, if I have to.. Lately all those consumed Frostys have been getting together to protest, on my waistline and hip area. Hello New Year's diet, glad to meet you, we may be working together for some time now.

My little blessings

There are days as a mother where I feel I don't have it all together. Days when I feel ragged and worn. Days when I know that it is not by my own strength that I hold my household together.

And then there are the days when all I can do is smile. To admire a bit of God's creation - the little ones that He is allowing me to care for. To see their beauty and to see their innocence and to know that they are not mine but His.

To know that they are in His arms, sheltered and loved. To know that His angels are watching over them.

How humbling to remember that it is not my job to shield them from all harm and all hurt, but to guide them and lead them in the best way I can. Knowing that my purpose is to serve as an image of His love and of His strength - and that a greater love is their destiny.

So as I rest in my Heavenly Father's arms, embracing these precious little ones, I feel the freedom to enjoy their smiles, their giggles, and their kisses. How priceless a gift to be given, to be a Mother in the family that He has given me. I do not have to be perfect, I just have to know which path to follow.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17)"

"From everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children. (Psalm 103:17)"

Lucky thirteen

Thirteen is suppose to be unlucky, right? Thirteen years ago, before I had even graduated college, I married my husband of thirteen years. Wow. That seems like a reeeeeally long time.

In those years, we've been through me finishing college and going to grad. school. Seeing my research partner more than my husband. Him going to night school, some more night school, yet more night school - and finally graduating with his Bachelor's degree. The first one in his family to even have gone to college.

We've been through 3 pregnancies and births, two of those pregnancies unexpected and ill-timed but looking back, perfectly timed in God's grace. Although, I wasn't thinking of that while crying in the bathroom and staring at a little stick saying "I can't do this!!" (he was still in night school and I had a toddler at home) or "WHO has THREE kids???" (I was in denial about my parenting abilities). But today, I couldn't imagine it any other way and would give nothing for the closeness my children share. (By the way, after #3 came along, for about two months I had the completely unfounded fear of, "we can't keep all these. I can't do this... We are going to have to send one of these back.." Go ahead, bring on that mother-of-the-year award.)

We've been through job changes where we chase money, layoffs, terminations, more than I could count. We've been through God transplanting us to Florida (I still think because I had prayed about how comfortable and happy I was a couple weeks earlier), sending me into an emotional break-down, and then picking us back up to move us again 6 months later.

We've been through the deaths of two of our closest friends. Trials that shook our marriage to the core. Family difficulties and ghosts that haunt us still.

And still - our foundation stood. Is it because we are two great people? No - both of us are severely flawed. My patience is lacking most days. His quest for "bigger" and "better" is always present. Is it because we are just alike? No - he loves music and sports. Didn't even take the SAT and has never met a stranger. I am artsy, love to read, and was originally suppose to be a doctor. I could go for weeks without reaching out to someone who wasn't related. Is it because we have been blessed with a silver spoon in our mouth and have been living on easy street? No - he grew up in Children's Homes and we started out in a small apartment, working our way through college.

So in a day and age when even 10 years of marriage is rare, when infidelity, pornography, addictions, money, and lies often put a premature end to many unions - we're still here. And I'm bragging about that. But just like all other things in our life - I stand on Ephesians 2:9-10
"it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

God designed this marriage and prepared it in advance for me to live. He has built our relationship, He has watered it and made it grow, even in the midst of the storms. We are His children and so thirteen, this year, is a very lucky year. As we are lucky enough to have a master designer to guide our paths, this year and every other year. Happy Anniversary to the man who is my gift from God... I love you.

Baseball Fan

I know it's only the beginning, but today was the first of many whirlwind spring baseball days. Braeden and Seth both had 5:30 practices. T helps coach Seth so that put him on that field and myself and Addison on the other, watching my little clown. So after having a quick dinner ready at 5, which didn't get eaten as sandwiches were way quicker and eaten on the way to practice (live and learn)... the boys were on their way.

The coach has said that Braeden has one of the best forms that he has seen in someone so young. That he is a natural and will probably make a great pitcher. But my little laid back son - he is hilarious as he stands in ultra-serious form with his little elbow cocked up and hits the ball to the outfield.... and then trots around the bases in what I'm pretty sure is the slowest speed that child has. The boy runs everywhere he goes!! He is still about 2 sizes smaller than what he should be as he runs off the massive amounts of food he ingests. Seriously, I am contemplating saving for future grocery bills vs. a college saving account. When I called him on moving so slowly around the bases, he told me "but these shoes are heavy!" Those skinny chicken legs can only handle so much!

After practice today, we rush home to get the kids baths and then my sweet hubby had arranged for a neighbor to come sit with the sleeping kids so I could go to his church softball game at 8:30. I have no idea what the final score was, but let's just say it was probably triple digits vs. single digits. The women in the stands were concerned that our team would never get the opportunity to bat as the first half of the inning just kept going, and going, and going. I'm just glad the guys took it in stride and were laughing about it. But to brag - my man hit it out too!! I think he was just showing off cause his girl was there.... Too bad I didn't bring out the old letter jacket or I really would have felt at home...

We interrupt this program for an announcement...

I wanted to take a little side-track from Africa to let you know about the newest member of our (a-hem) family... Gracie the Puppy. Those of you that were in the states at the time of her arrival, thank you so much for reprimanding my husband. Those of you that were with me in Africa - No, I haven't kicked him or the dog to the curb.... yet.

So far she has been a pretty good little pup. Except for occasional puppy blunders which dot our floor. And who could resist these two sets of puppy eyes????
For those of you not on Facebook who haven't heard the story -
I rush in from one of our many busy Africa days to check my email and find it empty. How dare he???!!?? (In his defense, the messages didn't come through until a day or so later). So I zip over to Facebook to see if anyone else loves me. I quickly find as his status: "T is wondering how much trouble he will be in when Tracy finds out we have a new puppy?" WHAT???? This man who had said, a mere hour before I left for Charlotte, "How could I be so stupid to let a dog ruin my house?? We are NEVER having another dog again!" Never say never, I guess...

So under his status were about 5 other messages telling him how dumb he was and how I was going to be pretty mad on my return. SO... I left him my own message saying "Didn't think I would check FB did you?? You....are....so....dead." With my own status as "Tracy is wondering how to inflict physical pain on my husband from Africa. He will be sleeping outside for 2 weeks when I get home."

I wasn't thinking about it, but those were my last words to him for 3 days as we left for rural Nazareth the next morning. whoops. He REALLY thought I was mad. REALLY mad. (heehee, take that Mr. Puppy-Man).

He just better be glad I love him so much and over-looked any extra family members when I returned home as I was just so glad to see them all. But you can believe, the next little 'present' we find in the house, that dog is the property of the boys, I had nothing to do with it!!

I'm throwing in some random pics of Braeden's b-day cake (only 8 days late!) and Addison with her newly adopted Ethiopian baby. That she did love, BTW. We thought we had left it at the Steak-N-Shake in Charlotte as we couldn't find it the next morning. That brought about a wealth of tears and "my baaaaaby. I want my baaaaaby." So glad he was just hiding under the couch.
(Must have been the culture shock.)


(I do have a third child, he just doesn't pose for me as often...)