My Apron Strings are Getting Shorter!!

Okay, I knew Jackson being in Middle School would be a whole new ball game, but I had no idea that he would start to want so much more independence in just the first two weeks of school! Last Friday was his first school dance! Did you hear me? I said D-A-N-C-E!! My baby is old enough to go into a dark gym with loud music and girls???? Well, it wasn't so bad as I had volunteered with PTO to work the dance. At least I could keep an eye on him, or so I thought. After taking care of my PTO responsibilities, I walked around and took some pictures. It seems like I saw every kid in the middle school except for Jackson. I don't think he was avoiding me, I think he was wrapped up in running around in the middle school drama where you are trying to figure out who likes who and then run and gossip about who is dancing with who. I'm really not as worried about Jackson as I am the girls that seemed to be chasing after him. Are they forgetting they are in 6th grade? They are still supposed to be shy and stuck in a corner! But then again, my son is not shy. At one point during the dance, I noticed all the kids were in a circle watching three boys dance. I was trying to find Jackson and realized he was one of the boys in the circle! Apparently, Jackson is very proud of himself that he can do the "worm."

Jackson at his first Middle School Dance

Well, we made it through the dance. I didn't have much time to take in all this independence my son is so desperately wanting. The next day, he met a group of 50 other students from the Middle School to go with FCA to a U of A Razorback football game in Fayetteville. They left the school at 1:30pm and wouldn't be returning until after 11:00pm. As I got to thinking about it, I realized that this is probably the first big thing that Jackson has done without me and his dad that was not church related. I also realized that he would be with 20,000-30,000 people at a football game where he could be infleuenced by people who may not be Christians. What if I wanted to get in touch with him? His dad and I had decided that he is still too young to have the responsibility of his own cell phone. Should I send my phone with him? I quickly decided against that as my phone has an active internet connection. I decided it was better to send him without a phone instead of with a phone that I could not monitor his internet use. I asked him to borrow a teacher or friends phone to call me and check in with me. He did as I asked. I couldn't believe he was being responsible enough to remember to call his mom! I prayed for him all night, that God would protect his mind and his ears. I also prayed that he would have a great time and that God would use him as a positive infleuence on others.

This is a picture of Jackson's 30,000 closest friends! :)

Jackson (far left) hanging out with some friends watching the game

Eating at Braum's after the game...

Jackson did have a blast at the game and I know that he was well taken care of by the leaders that took the students. I was able to enjoy my evening without focusing on what Jackson was doing or who he was with the whole time. Jackson is a great kid and has a wonderful discerning spirit. I continue to pray that he allows the Lord to lead him. I also know that this next year will be full of "firsts" for both of us. I am excited about seeing my son grow and gain more independence and yet I am sad at the same time. It feels like I am losing a little bit of my little boy every day. Yes, it definitely feels like my apron strings are getting shorter every day!

First Day of School

Judson is 5 years old and is starting Kindergarten

Jackson is 12 years old and is starting 6th grade

Jensen is 4 years old and is starting Pre-K

Today was such a great day! Our family rose early and started preparing for the new school year. The kids got up quickly as they were excited about their first day of school. They put on their new clothes and shoes and agreed to our annual routine of first day of school pics! Julie took Jackson to school first. He was so excited about being in the Middle School. He has a great teacher and is enjoying more of the freedom that comes with being a middle schooler! We took Judson and Jensen to school next. Judd was a little anxious and not sure what to expect. I could tell he was a little apprehensive as Jason and I left him with his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Kindy and a roomful of students that he didn't know yet. Jensen on the other hand, ran into her room as if she owned it. She was excited to be in a new classroom with a new teacher.

The second and third days of school were hard for Judd. He cried both days when he left for school and then again when his dad dropped him off. Before he left for school, he gave me a huge hug and looked at me with big crocodile tears pouring down his sweet face and said "Mommy, I love you and I just want to stay with you forever. School is so long! Please let me stay home with you!" I consoled Judd and told him that it would only be a few hours before he would see me again. I then hugged and kissed him before his dad took him to the car. My heart sank as he went out the door. I know this is a part of his growing up. I also know that there will come a day when he will not want to hang out with his mom all day. Judd did better by the end of the third day and was starting to get used to the routine. We also realized that if we packed Judd a lunch with particular items that he really likes to eat, he would be more focused on getting to eat lunch, that he wouldn't miss me so terribly. Yes, already I have been replaced in his thoughts by a PB&J sandwich and a juice box!!

As a mom, I love the consistency that the new school year brings. I love knowing what our schedule will be for the day. However, there is a part of me that grieves the loss of summer. I miss the days of sleeping until 10am, being with the kids all day, and having the freedom to do whatever we want to do on that day. I truly am loving this stage of mine and Jason's life. It is such a joy to see our kids at this age! I am looking forward to seeing how God will grow our children this year, not only physically, but spiritually. :)

Bearing Fruit

Jensen and Mommy picking Blackberries

Jason picking Blackberries

Beautiful Fruit!

These are the Blackberries that we picked!

The weather today was absolutely gorgeous! I decided that it was the perfect day to visit Taylor's Orchard to pick Blackberries. It has been years since I picked Blackberries and the last time I picked them, I got scratched by huge thorns and had to wade through crowded thickets to even get a handful of fruit. Not only that, but the weeds were so thick, I was always afraid of a snake slithering around my feet. :) Needless to say, in the past it has not always been a positive experience, but my love for Blackberries always pushed me to venture into the weeds and thorns for that bittersweet taste of summer! I loved the vines at Taylor's Orchard because they are thornless and it is well mowed. I did not worry about snakes today!

When we arrived at the orchard, we were greeted by Mr. Virgil, an elderly man who looked to be in his late 70s or early 80s. He had such a sweet, gentle spirit and was very taken with Jensen. Somewhere during our conversation, Jensen had told Mr. Virgil that she loved Jesus. He immediately told Jensen that he loved Jesus too. He proceeded to tell us of his love for his church and how he loves to serve in the Children's ministry and occasionaly serve in the youth ministry. We visited for a little longer and the decided we better get to the vines before we ran out of time.

Jensen and I started picking Blackberries. She loved it for awhile, but didn't like that some of the berries excreted juice when she picked them. She and I both ended up with very purple fingers! Jason joined us a little later and Jensen loved showing her Dad how to pick the right way!

While picking the berries, I saw bright red berries that were hard and not yet ripe. I saw perfect, plump berries that were dark in color and very juicy. I saw berries that were juicy yet over-ripe and rotting on the vine. I also saw berries that were shriveled and dried up. Of course, I looked for the perfect, plump, dark berries that were just right! As I was picking through the vines for the perfect berries, I got to thinking about what God's Word says about fruit. I was reminded of Matthew 3:10 that says "Even the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire." Also, Matthew 7:16-20 that says "You can identify them by their fruit, that is by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." After reading these verses in my Bible, I looked at what my commentary had to say about this subject. The commentary was extremely bold and I thought I would share with you what it had to say: Just as a fruit tree is expected to bear fruit, God's people should produce a crop of good deeds. God has no use for people who call themselves Christians but who live otherwise. Like many people in John's day who were God's people in name only, we are of no value if we are Christians in name only. If others can't see our faith in the way we treat them, we may not be God's people at all. God's message hasn't changed since the Old Testament: People will be judged for their unproductive lives. God call us to be active in our obedience. John compared people who claim they believe God but don't live for God to unproductive trees that will be cut down. To be productive for God, we must obey his teachings, resist temptation, actively serve and help others, and share our faith. How productive are you for God?

I really want to have the kind of fruit in my life that looks like the plump, juicy, dark blackberries. You know how they get juice all over you if you squeeze them too hard? I want to be so full of the spirit that it overflows out of me! I pray that my life is like those tall, beautiful vines that are filled with so many berries that you know you are looking at a Blackberry vine. There is no way you mistake it for an orange tree or a strawberry patch. I don't want my life to be like those berries that are rotting on the vine or even like the ones that are shriveled and dried up. I want the fruit of my life to be so evident that it is not mistaken for anything other than the love of God! After visiting with Mr. Virgil today, I could see that he is bearing much fruit. It was extremely evident in his life that he has a personal relationship with Jesus and that he loves being able to help little children grow closer to Jesus. His fruit is evident! I pray that your life is also bearing much fruit and that it is evident to those around you!

The Blessing of New Friends

Last Friday evening, Jason and I drove to Branson with CoCo Miller, Marena Harmon and Mark Dewbre to interview a young man who had applied for the Associate Pastor to Students position at our church. Tony and Jane Molina were also on our search committee, but they were on vacation.

We arrived in Branson around 8:15pm and met Tim and Meagan Rucker. Tim is from Florida and Meagan is from Kentucky. They were married a week ago and were honeymooning in Branson. They were gracious enough to allow us to drive to Branson to interview them on their last day of their honeymoon. Our visit with them was wonderful. On the way home, we all talked and decided that we were all feeling like Tim and Meagan could possibly be the one's that God was leading to our church.

Jason called Tim and Meagan early on Saturday morning to see if they would be interested in coming on over to Siloam Springs to look around our community and our church. They agreed and we showed them around the church and talked about our ministry at Revolution and we showed them our beautiful town.

Sunday morning, Tim did an incredible job teaching to our students in Bible Study. After lunch, they had lunch with the staff. Later that afternoon, they met with all of our Youth Workers and then met with the Personnel Committee.

After much prayer and confirmation from the Lord, Jason extended a call to Tim to come as our Associate Pastor to Students. He accepted. :)

Tim and Meagan found a house that they will be moving in to next week. They will be here for our first Wednesday night of the Fall to meet our Middle Schoolers. Their first Sunday will be August 24th. We are incredibly excited to get to know them better and to be apart of each others lives. We are looking forward to serving with them in Ministry. God is so faithful! I am so thankful to Him for bringing this Godly couple into our lives!

Protecting my Cubs

Yesterday I took Jackson and Judson to their doctor appointments in Fayetteville. Jackson was getting his wrist x-rayed to make sure the fracture in his wrist was healed and Judson was going for his two week check-up after having his tonsils and adneoids removed. Jensen spent the day playing at her friend Sydney's house.

I had decided that since there was a gap of about 4 hours between appointments, that we would have Lunch at the mall and finish up some school shopping. You know, when you eat at the Mall, everyone always wants food from a different restaurant because you can do that in the food court! So, I gave Jackson money for Subway and then went to Taco Bell to get my food. Judd wanted pizza from Sbarro, so we got in line for pizza. While standing in line, a large man standing in front of us turned around and started talking to us. He was nice, but I could tell from his speech that he probably had some learning disabilities. The first thing he said was "looks like your little boy just got a haircut. Is he getting ready for school?" I replied that he was. He then asked Judd what grade he would be in and Judd told him he would be going to Kindergarten. Immediately after that, he asked me "what school?" I have never got the feeling in my stomach that I did when the man asked that question. All of a sudden the converstaion seemed weird. I just told him it was a school here in Northwest Arkansas and abruptly ended the conversation. Something in my spirit didn't feel right. I felt like a mother bear protecting my cub. I held Judd's hand until we were seated and ready to eat. I was then alarmed when out of the WHOLE FOOD COURT, then man decided to sit two tables away from us. I took that opportunity to talk to the boys about safety and then I threatened Judd within an inch of his life if he tried to stray away from me today. I am usually not overly protective, but I felt a huge need to be that way today. I know that by nature, coversation come easy for me, even with strangers. But I realized today how important it is to not give out too much information to people that I don't know, even if they are being friendly.

Later that day in the mall, I realized that Jackson was asserting his 12 year old independence by just going into stores without telling me and I would have to stop and wait for him to catch up to me and Judd. He knew that we were on a schedule and my mission was not to window shop, but to find school clothes. I noticed that Jackson walked into a shoe store that was a couple of stores away from JcPenney . He knew I was on a mission to get to JcPenney's, so I was frustrated that he was once again making us wait on him. I thought that I would teach him a lesson and make him come look for me to show him the importance of him needing to stay with me unless he asks me if he can shop around a few stores. I thought once he realized he didn't tell me where he was going, he would immediately know to look for me in the children's section at JcPenney's. Well, I quickly purchased what I needed and went back to where we separated knowing he would be waiting there for me and he would be very sorry for not communicating with me properly. He wasn't where I thought he would be. So, I sat down and watched for Jackson while watching Judd play in the children's play area. I just knew he would walk up any minute and be relieved to see me. I waited and watched for 20 minutes and still no Jackson. As I sat there, I began to get extremely anxious as more time passed. Finally, I started praying and decided to venture into JcPenney's to look for Jackson. I was worried that he would show up where I was waiting and I would not be there if he came there to look for me. I would be in a large department store and it would be hard for him to find me, OR what if something actually did happen to him???? Okay, now I was a nervous wreck! I grabbed Judd's hand and briskly walked into JcPenney's. Judd pulled his hand away from mine and I told him to hold my hand while we looked for Jackson. He ran to the escalator and said "I want to ride the escalator!" I then heard "Judd?" Jackson had heard Judd's voice but couldn't see him. Judd then said "Mommy, Mommy, I heard Jackson!" About that time, Jackson came around the corner. He had been sitting on a bench by the escalator watching and waiting for me. Part of me was so mad that we had separated and frutrated that I had gotten so worried about him. The other part of me was so thankful that he was safe. We went straight to the car. I talked to Jackson about what our plan would be if we got separated again in the future and I also talked to him about the importance of asking/telling me where he is going so I will always know where he is at and that he will know where I will be located. Wow, I really have felt like a mother bear protecting my cubs! I am thankful to the Lord that He loves them so much more than I do and that I can trust my precious children into His protection!

River Country Fun

Jackson, Jackson's friend Alex, Judson, Macy, Jensen, Carter, Parker, and Aunt Christie

Getting ready to have some big fun!

Macy and Jensen call themselves the "Sister Cousins"

Hanging out with my twin sister, Gina while watching the kids play

After a full day in the sun, the kids are hot, wet, tired, and hungry!

Julie and the kids got up early Wednesday morning and drove an hour and 15 minutes to Muskogee, Oklahoma to meet Julie's sisters and their children. Jackson's friend, Alex Kennedy, also came with us. He is such a sweet boy!

We met everyone at McDonald's for some lunch. We also brought a gift and mini-cupcakes to celebrate my sister Christie's 31st birthday. We didn't celebrate for long as the kids were ready to go play in the water!

We took the kids to River Country. It is Muskogee's Family Aquatic Center that is owned by the city, but is more like a small water park. Admission is $5 for adults and $4 for children. Very inexpensive for a full day of fun!

The kids loved their splash pad area that had slides, waterfalls, and "soft" toys in the water. We spent most of our day here.

We also loved the Lazy River. Judson thought it was called the crazy river because you floated down it fast in a tube! :)

The best part of our day was me getting to hang out with my sisters and for my kids to get to play with their cousins. Because we live several hours apart, playing together doesn't happen often!

Thank you Christie for bringing Carter and Parker! Thank you Gina for bringing Macy! We had a blast!!

Kids will be kids!!

Re-enacting the hair cuts they gave each other!
Judd gave Jensen the "shag". Those layers weren't there before!
Cute and Sassy! Her hair cut now matches her attitude!
At least Jensen only took a few chops on Judd's hair.
New cut...Almost shaved! :)

Last Monday the kids were laying around on the couch until I told them it was time to get ready for the day. I called Jensen into my bathroom so I could fix her hair. The first comb through her hair I noticed some layers. As I got to looking more closely, I realized it was a really bad hair cut! I asked her who cut her hair and she replied "nobody." I asked her again and as she saw me tearing up, she said "Judd did it." I called for Judson to also come in my bathroom. As soon as he walked in, I realized that he too had a bad haircut! I asked him who cut his hair and he replied "Jensen." I asked them why they cut their hair and Jensen said "Mommy, we wanted to surprise you!" Well, they were right. I was definitely surprised! :) I asked them when they cut it assuming it had been sometime that morning, but they said they had done it the night before while I was at the church with Jackson. I was relieved that they didn't do that while under my care, but then couldn't wait to ask Jason why he didn't tell me. I called Jason at work and told him the story. He said they couldn't have done it because he even put both of them in the bath AND washed their hair! After talking to the kids more, I found out that they snuck into the house and grabbed the scissors and took them out to the treehouse in the back yard where their creativity began. Their daddy must have been extremely tired that night not to notice even while washing their hair! Judd is a boy and his hair will grow back fast. Jensen's hair on the other hand grows very slowly. I love her hair long, but she is undeniably cute with her new hair style. I have talked to my kids several times about not cutting theirs or anyone else's hair. But now I know that no matter how much you lecture your children, Kids will be Kids!!! :)