Well, we have teary eyed boys...even day 2! The cousins came...and left! They were here for a week and we did it all! We had water gun wars, we had fights in the park with hideouts and hand to hand combat - there were battle wounds and war stories around the dinner table each night! It was WONDERFUL! And, as you can tell by the picture, in the middle of it all, there was one little girl who led the pack (Ok...there are two in the picture - but one is old enough to hold her own with these guys - but, the little one is running the show!)! She may be 2 but she's TOUGH! She walks tall and carries a big stick with these boys, I'm tellin' ya!

We had a ball - so I thought I would share some photos! Check out facebook for more!

Wow - my boys woke up early and PUMPED!!! They are beside themselves today as we anxiously await the cousins arriving this evening! Yes...you heard me correctly...this EVENING! Which means we have ALL day to wait - oh, my! We will be cleaning the house, having lunch with a precious friend who has a birthday today and then do some last minute IMPORTANT shopping for legos...after all, you can never have too many legos when cousins are here.

But, I have to share...last night, on the way to church, I look back and both boys are going through their money. They have been earning money doing extra cleaning, reading QUALITY books (we pay big bucks for REAL books - for instance, our 11 year old just got done reading "Do Hard Things" - quality = cash)...anyway....they have some cash! They both have remembered, on their own, to bring their wallets and they are figuring their tithe - one looks distressed and says, my tithe is $4.50 but all I have is a $5.00....dilemma.

Ok...a teaching moment - how does mom handle this - pretend that I've never had a selfish, self consumed bone in my body and that tithing is something we do simply in our household? Pretent that I have never wanted to hold on to every cent I can get my hands on? No...I confess - I talked with them about how 10% is our starting point - it is our obedience....but anything above that, if given in a heart that is willing and worshipping - is a gift of love. We talked about the gifts (legos, toys, games) that we would be giving cousins - that we picked out so willingly...and how when we give above our tithe that is just one way we give a gift of love to Jesus - who gave us His ultimate gift. So...with this wonderful tidbit of wisdom thus imparted...and my confession of selfishness and struggle dutifully given - I sit back and expect them to respond like super spiritual giants and say "I'll give it all!" - only to find that they respond so much like their mama....we are just too human sometimes! The youngest says, "Mom...how do we get to where we don't care so much about money and stuff? I mean, I want to give and be happy about it - but I also want to buy stuff with the money! I really do love Him and want to give to Him...but I also care too much about the rest of it...how do I make it stop?" Ohhh...how I wish his mama knew the answer to that one!

Philippians is the study we are going through in Sunday School right now and, mama has been convicted once again, by the life of Paul! To live is Christ (my life is His anyway), to die is gain...wow - I have soooooo far to go! I have so much in my life that gets in the way of serving Christ - my to-do list, my "want" list, my laziness..."Father, how do I get to the place where I just don't care so much about all the money and stuff? I mean, I really want to serve You, live for You and give self-lessly....but I care too much for all the rest of it....how do I make it stop?" Glad HE has the patience with me to put up with my unfaithfulness...He loves me soooooo passionately and so sacrifically....and I fall so short. I cannot even love Him at all apart from His GRACE....what an amazing Father I have - one who is teaching me everyday - through my incredible husband, through my kids, through my church family and through HIS WORD - to care less and less for this world, and more and more for HIM....santification isn't easy and I wish it happened quickly - but I'm learning...no easy answers - just diligent surrender....

Rambling thoughts brought on by two pretty terrific boys!

Ok...having boys sometimes means you do things a little...differently...

We are having the cousins come to visit next week (also boys, for the most part). So, In Mom's world - "let's get the house ready for company" means, let's clean the playroom, let's put those clothes you have been hiding under your bed - away, let's actually clean the bathroom rather than just "wiping it down"... You know, cleaning! I come around the corner to hear two little boys discussing "getting the house ready for company" in their language - their "to-do" list sounds a little like this:
1. We have to get all the games out and put them in order that we want to play them
2. Make a list of the junk food we want mom to get at the store for us
3. decide which costumes each person is going to wear and make sure we know where they are
4. collect enough "swords" from those crazy grass looking bushes out front - so that everyone can have one for each hand - and leftover for when some break.
5. make sure that our "play shoes" are ready because the yard will be muddy in all the best hiding spots since it has been raining lately
And finally, as they were dismissed to accomplish their tasks, I found my oldest in his room moving items from the top shelf down to lower ones - when I asked why he looked at me like I was crazy - he said it was because the "cool" looking stuff (his footballs and helmet, etc) was up high and, if cousins tried to reach them - the whole shelf will fall! Of course then I was asked why we didn't just make the shelves better for climbing in the first place!

So, when I asked my BOYS about their little female cousin coming to visit and what they were going to do to prepare for having fun with her - they both just sat there! Then, with all the grace and mercy that could be mustered up - the youngest just said "I dunno - maybe hide the legos?"!! Of course!

Having boys is soooooo much fun!!!

Ever have one of those days? No...not the bad ones - one of those really fun, sweet and "blessed" days? A day where it is just neat to see God working - in my kids, in my friends and in my church....a day where, by the middle of it you are just anxious to answer the phone to see what is going to happen next! Well, that is today! Nothing HUGE - nothing with any specific answers or finality to it - just a day where you see God working all around you and it just makes you sit back and say "wow - He is such an incredible, loving God"...He reminds you that He is in control and He cares about all the details.

I pray that when these days come along, that I notice them. I wonder how many times my attitude or my busy-ness keeps me from paying attention to all the things going on around me? If I had made that phone call to check on a friend like I was supposed to, I would have been blessed to hear their testimony of God's goodness - but I didn't take the time....or how, if I had taken the time to talk with my child about why they made the choice that they did rather than just fussin' at them, I would hear them work through a decision that, as best they could, they were applying Scripture to their choice....how many times do I RUSH through my day, exhausted by the end of it - instead of enjoying the journey that He has me on...doing HIS to-do list instead of mine!

I needed that reminder today! Thank you Lord for always knowing how to get my attention!

Michele
Proud wife of sweet hubby, Pastor Chad Everson and Proud Mama of two GROWING boys!

Our boys are playing on two different football teams. Our youngest is in the oldest age group for his team....while our oldest child, while not the youngest on his team, he is one of the smallest. So, given that this is the first year playing for each of them, it was quite a blow to our oldest when his little brother made "A" team on his squad and the big brother was on "B" team for his team....

Ok...just to be honest - my heart hurts! I want to go out there and do it for them - I want to take the hits and have people talk trash to me - just to spare them! But, apparently that is one part of the game that they have to get used to and they have to be willing to endure if they are going to make it in the sport (thank you to daddy for reminding me of this important lesson!) While there has been some jealousy issues and some "trash talk" around our house about all of this - there has also been some really good teaching moments....like the other night when I was able to talk with our oldest about how I get jealous of others quite often - and how I have to confess that before God on a regular basis. How I have to see it as the pride issue it is in my heart before I can address the attitude and actions that result from it. We talked about some of the struggles with jealousy that I face on a regular basis and how the Word of God is able to teach us who we are in Christ and Who we are designed to please and glorify...not easy lessons at 11 or at "29" :)....

Oh well....all of that aside...we left for practice tonight with both boys wishing each other a great practice and encouraging each other to "knock someone's head off"...brotherly love - ain't it great!

Michele

Ok...we have had some wonderful friends from Florida visit with us two weeks ago and they left heading back last weekend. They are so sweet and we LOVE their family very much - so when leave, the house is, well, a little quieter if you can believe it knowing the Everson crew. When the "girls" are here (the family's two daughters and, of course KJ Summers has to come over too!), we have blow up mattresses in one room for all the girls - and blow up mattresses in another room for the boys...AND NEVER THE TWO SHALL MEET!!! Well, when they left this last time, the boys were helping me straighten up. When it came time to take down the blow up mattresses, both boys started begging me to leave them up. I pleaded my case about needing to vacuum under them, them having more space in their rooms, and then the plain 'ole mom reasoning of just plain "why?"....Of course, their answers were so much better than my reasoning - if you think like a little boy! The bed in Josh's room is their padded football field - they can tackle inside and they can dive for the pass and not get fussed at for "coming through the ceiling". Then, the bed in Caleb's room becomes the hang out that they sit and talk on, play video games on and generally just be together -all without Josh sitting on his bed! So...after listening to this well-constructed argument - how is a mom supposed to say no? Needless to say, over a week later we still have two queen size blow up mattresses upstairs, fully inflated on the floors of their rooms! And I have two little boys that are having daily grappling matches and football plays until they just can't take anymore! Sometimes you have to forget about your own decorating ideas and just let boys be boys!

Wow! We have hit the road running this school year! There is no time to breathe lately between schoolwork, Church activities and now football! The boys are so excited about football season - their first year playing tackle football....glad they are excited 'cause Momma doesn't quite know what to think about this one! It is one thing when you watch adult (ok, so grown) men out there hitting each other all in the name of a little brown ball...but to watch your 9 and 11 year old strap on more pads than you can count and try to cover and PROTECT every part of their bodies before they go out and hit each other on purpose - I am questioning the logic of this game! I have been told that you must be a guy to understand it enough to play it....I guess that's true. Like I said, I have loved the game when I am watching someone else play it, but now that they are my children out there - whoa, wait a minute! Let's talk about injury rates, concussions, broken bones...where else can I fit a pad in that uniform???

Na...I think Mom is outvoted on this one...we just don't talk about it that much - after all, they are boys and I have to "go with the flow" if I am not going to be left behind in the years to come! I better just "get a grip" and get into the fan gear! Here we go Redskins and Cowboys!!!

Well, it has been a busy summer and, despite my best intentions - I have gotten nothing done! I am busy - but not sure with what! I have been running, both literally and figuratively...we have been going to the children's ministry functions and, we have made a trip back to Florida for a visit....but where has the rest of the summer gone??? Who knows!

I was thinking about all of this tonight as I was visiting friends on facebook and I was looking at all the family pictures everyone has on their profiles...I absolutely love being a wife and a mom! I love spending time with my kids and having fun as a family. We went today with our Senior Adult group from Trinity to the Nissan factory in Canton, MS. We had spent the whole day together and had so much fun being with everyone...but tonight, as I was tucking our boys into bed, Caleb made a comment about what we were going to do tomorrow and then, in the flash of a moment realized that tomorrow is FRIDAY and that Daddy would be home "all day"!! He got so excited and starting dancing around in his bed! It was soooo cute - my boys LOVE their daddy and they LOVE spending time with him! He started immediately making all the plans for them for tomorrow - football, lunch - you name it, Chad's day is planned! Those two boys, as well as their daddy, make the most of being a family! They have a ball - whether they are wrestling, playing football or praying - they do it with zeal and intensity! Mom just has to leave the room - I DREAD tackle football this fall!

Anyway, I am thankful for my boys - for God allowing me to be their mama and for a husband who loves to spend time with them...and I look forward to the years to come - making the most of our time together!

Hey...there is a new post on The Homeschool Forum blog that is about why our Protestant Churches are losing our teenagers....I wrote it from a desperation to teach my boys the truth of the Gospel and what the Christian life entails. It stems from a book I am reading called "World Proof Your Kids" by Tim Sisemore. Check it out!

www.homeschoolforum.blogspot.com