Guess what!

I'm up at almost 2, and so I'm going to blog. Why do I not realize that I don't have the 'magic Andy gene' that makes you able to drink an espresso at 9 and fall asleep like a baby, neatly at 12. My head is whirling. Josh Glidden, if you guessed I was pregnant, I do have other surprises(although I have to admit, another baby has been one of the thoughts in my over-caffeinated brain the past two hours.) I've also been thinking about homeschooling and, 'Do I have the chops for it?I'm praying for strength in weakness and trusting greatly in Jesus to provide wisdom to teach and train, which may sound like the dumbest or smartest thing to some, all perspective. I really can't express how much I am enjoying being a mom. It is beyond special and beyond words, can't part with any of them.I'm thinking about going to Prince Edward Island with my mom and Lily in just a week and am too excited. I'm remembering how I was anticipating meeting our third baby just a year ago, and how special that time was, and in disbelief that he will be a year on Friday. I know it's cliche', but where does the time go? I love that yesterday my mother-in-law said she was a great-aunt and Claire said, 'yes you are.' I 'm loving taking walks and listening to Mark Driscoll's doctrine series and praising Jesus for everything that He has done for me. I'm thankful I'm married to the best camp director ever! He loves Jesus, me and our kids and is doing what he was made to do, that's exciting!

We're back in civilization.

Thank you Lord! We lived rustically, but 'comfortably.' Who am I kidding, not comfortable. When you had to go to the bathroom, you squatted, held your breath and found a happy place. When you needed hot water ,you warmed it up. If you felt dirty, you went swimming, but it makes you thankful for everything you have. Our van was loaded down with gear, bikes, nalgenes etc... Mark Driscoll sermons were on our playlist and we were off. First day in Ely, MN I biked around the lake we were staying on and wrecked pretty bad. I didn't let it keep me down. The whole family went on a 5 1/2 mile hike to Dry Falls for some swimming. The cabin was on a lake and canoes were a plenty. Campfires every night where Lily perfected the art of story telling. The girls loved my old pioneer girls songs. A strange highlight for me were the 15 year-old 'Focus on the Family' magazines laying around. Also Andy got up with the kids every morning! We loved eating at the Chocolate Moose. That sums up our trip, sort of. Now, I'm going to go abuse running water, maybe go crazy and leave it on the whole time I brush my teeth.

Just wanted you to know.

Tomorrow will be a wildernessy extravaganza of pics and stories. I have not forgotten this blog, but after a week of camping the laundry is...yikes! See you tomorrow with tales from Ely, Minnesota.

Awakenings

; the start of a feeling or awareness in a person. I've had several of these that I can really remember through my twenties. When I had Lily I felt like I could do anything and it started a little ripple effect in my life. From picking up crocheting, tending plants (as opposed to killing them), cooking, France, sewing, reading monster books that seemed insurmountable... and so on. I got this feeling of ,'Ok, I'm an out of the box thinker, I know this so I might have to do things differently to do them well. All that to say I have always wanted to play an instrument so that I could play and sing and worship in that way whenever. So I got to thinking. Reading music never worked for me. I'm guessing my piano teachers popped ibuprofen before I came. The light never came on. But I know the chords on piano and guitar music has the chords, so Voila'! I can now play piano and sing and I'm so glad to be in another awakening. I'm thankful to Jesus for giving me my 30th birthday present 1 month early. He's so good to me!

Sometimes I'm really tired of

sinning. Ok, all the time. A lot of the time I find myself finding a way out of thinking what I'm doing is sinning(pride). Saying things like, 'is that really all that bad.' To a perfect God, most likely, yes. Even our good works are filthy rags. I am being continually blessed by 'Mere Christianity,' and wanted to share a paragraph that put things in perspective for what's on my mind so much of the time.

We may, indeed, be sure that perfect chastity-like perfect charity-will not be attained by any merely human efforts. You must ask for God's help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or less help than you need, is being given. Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. Very often what God first helps us towards in not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again. For however important chastity, courage, truthfulness or any other virtue may be, this process trains us in habits of the soul which are more important still. It cures our illusions about ourselves and teaches us to depend on God. We learn on the one hand, that we cannot trust ourselves even in our best moments, and, on the other, that we need not despair even in our worst, for our failures are forgiven. The only fatal thing is to sit down content with anything less than perfection.

Poop art strikes again!

The criminal: River Warken age 11 months (youngest rogue yet)

The scene: Too gruesome to show, trust me.

The eye witnesses: sisters who found it all hilarious.


The damsel in distress: bleaching, washing, smelling...definite distress.