Hurricane Sandy...

Attempting to stay safe during the storm last night we shared our large sectional and ottomans in the basement to make one big bed.  Except for Joshua...he really wanted to sleep in the hideout under our basement steps.  

Wes said he felt like Charlie Bucket from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" all of us sleeping in one bed...that statement was just the beginning of the laughs... 

A little background information...Will is once again battling bronchiolitis and requiring regular albuterol nebulizers and an oral steroid that does wonders for his ability to fall asleep.  We had all of the lights out trying to get the boys to sleep and Will could not settle down.  Joshua would yell "I'm trying to sleep"  from his little cubby and Will ran with it...

Below is a "sound only video" of bedtime last night...

This is definitely one of my all time favorites!!!

Multitude Monday #3513 - #3532...

 ^"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

^{1 Thessalonians 5:18}

Giving thanks with the Gratitude Community for His unending gifts...

...more painting progress...

...a gas station in the nick of time...

...his delight after his horse back riding lesson...

 ...late night cookie with Micaiah...

...surviving a trip to the MVA...

...glorious weather for a Chick Fil A picnic...   

...Grandma and Pap and friends helping with the kids for the weekend...

...great conversation with close friends...

...roller coaster fun with friends...

 

...lingering long at the dinner table with friends...

 

...seeing His beauty in creation...

 

...sleeping in...

...scripts for Bronchitis, Bronchiolitis and Cellulitis...

 

...our resident mouse (AKA William) leaving this for me to find (his face made it pretty obvious as to what he had been doing)...

 

...the boys welcome when we return home...

^{...parents that do everything they possibly can to help before leaving...}

...getting a chest x-ray prior to the Hurricane Sandy...

 

...big boys and the kids toys...

 

...Hurricane trackers that allow us to prepare days ahead of the storm...

...resting in the fact that God is with us...

  

Multitude Monday #3483 - #3512...

"Higher than the clouds—immeasurably higher—flocks of transparent, shimmering beings arced across the sky, leaving long, streamerlike lines behind them...

A sound, huge and booming like a glorious chant, came down from above, and I wondered if the winged beings were producing it. Again, thinking about it later, it occurred to me that the joy of these creatures, as they soared along, was such that they had to make this noise—that if the joy didn’t come out of them this way then they would simply not otherwise be able to contain it."

Proof of Heaven

Giving thanks with the Gratitude Community for His unending gifts...

...carrot peelings on the floor from Eli's help with dinner...

...Joshua asking..."Mom can I listen to The Book of Acts on the ipod?"..."My favorite part is when God's angel rescues Peter from Herod's prison!"...

...closed doors...

...walking in the realization that God cares about our future and has us in His capable and loving hands...

...coming across a wet footprint on the bathroom floor...a trace of a clean boy looking for his bed...

...brothers...

 

...Hallelujah playing loud at Baltimore School for Drumming as Micaiah plays along...

...hearing my neighbor quote "Life is not an emergency"...

...early morning worship with the boys....

...that Joshua was able to swallow a pill...an answer to prayer!...

...Eli going underwater at swim lessons...

...carpool help...

...Streams in the Desert from October 18th...

...that the police officer gave me a warning and not a ticket for my speeding...when he asked where I was going I bet he was rather disappointed when I said "home."

...Will wrapping his arms around my legs while I make dinner saying "I want [you] to sing with me."

...a knock on the door at 7:20 in the morning and all of the boys screaming "Poppy's here!"...

...eye contact...

...finding Eli sounding out Bob Books during his rest time...

...the dinner table filled with friends, laughter and good carry out...

...another room painted...

...fall fest at the farm before dinner on Sunday evening...

...conversations that bring healing...  

...beautiful fall colors displaying God's glory...

...pumpkin bread warm from the oven...

...Eli at the piano...

...a family leaf hunt...

...an afternoon walk around the block...

...the evening sky...

...Eli enjoying friends...

  

...a little boy and a big puddle...

  

  

Fall on the Farm...

Mutlitude Monday #3464 - #3482...

"Even if we have no possessions, there is one thing for which we can always be thankful--that He saved us from hell.  We can also give thanks that He has given us His Holy Word, His Holy Spirit, and the most precious gift of all--His Son.  Therefore when we consider all this, we have abundant reasons for thanksgiving.  May this be our goal!"

Streams in the Desert 

...Eli skipping happily through the grocery store...

...Will singing and playing "Give Me Faith" on the drums after breakfast...

...time with friends on a cold dreary evening...

...Joshua's forgiveness when we showed up late to his soccer game...

...help from friends...

...cancelled plans that provide clarification for later decisions...

   

...dinner downtown with friends...

...GUNGOR live...amazing!!!

...gifted musicians that glorify God with their time and talents...

...heat that warms my frozen hands and legs after a long run in 40 degree weather...

...Micaiah's discipline with homework...

...proof of heaven...

...purging as we prepare our house for sale...

...a realtor that encourages us to pray about house decisions...

...seeing this in the rearview mirror...

...the way he lays his head on my shoulder as we play a game...

...my husbands love and patience...

...Will saying "Bye Dad...I love you." as Wes leaves for work...

...pillow fight in the basement... 

Multitude Monday (or Tuesday) #3456 - #3463...

"The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes"

10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman

Giving thanks with the Gratitude Community for His unending gifts...

...hearing/seeing Wes and Will at the piano singing and playing this song...

...answering the call of "Mom...will you snuggle with me?"...

...catching up with a friend after the kids are tucked in bed...

...seeing God's hand at work...

...reading this post  after I preach to myself...

...
"As for me, I want to be ready for anything. To go anywhere, do anything, and join my family into the wild goodness of following our Father. Leaning into change, instead of resisting it, makes the ride that much sweeter.
I can let go of the safety bar as we careen down the hill, or I can hold on for dear life—either way, I’m on a crazy ride. But in one circumstance, I’m reluctant and reticent, and I’m missing out on some of the fun. The other, I’m feeling the sway of every delightful bend."

...a weekend to paint...

...receiving pictures of them enjoying time at their grandparents...

...a walk to the trains with Will...

  

Multitude Monday #3435 - #3455...

“Creation speaks to us — every day, all the time, constantly shouting truths about spiritual reality. Did you hear it this morning as you got up? Did you feel any truth about God this morning as you took a hot shower? Did you taste any truth as you delighted in your morning coffee? Did you hear any divine reality as you heard a bird singing? Did you see any truth as you saw the blue of the sky? What have you actually felt, tasted, touched, seen, and heard today? The whole earth is filled with His glory. Every day creation shouts to us, God is glorious! God is creator! God is provider! God is love! God is there! . . . Everywhere I look, everything I feel, hear, smell, and taste transmits the beauty of God through the beauty of creation. He is the beauty behind all beauty.”
Eyes Wide Open by Steve Dewitt

Giving thanks with the Gratitude Community for His unending gifts...

...hearing Will singing and then realizing he is singing..."I may be weak but your Spirits strong in me...my flesh may fail my God you never will"...

...ditching the bikes in the woods and going to catch the train going through the tunnel...

...another creative baseball design...

...lunch from my mom...

...the warmth of the sunshine...

...worship with small group...

...little boys catching frogs...

...Wes and Will singing at the piano...

...hearing him sounding out words...

...how they come alive with a walk in the woods...

...Eli and Bella (the loving dog at Joshua's horseback riding lesson)...

 

...cancelled plans...

...difficult conversations...

...forgiveness...

...handpicked flowers from Eli... 

...a creative way to teach how to partition 10 using his favorite animals...

...hearing the boys laughing downstairs...

...an evening meal together... 

...Will playing the drums while he sings the "ABC" song...

...how we rush out the door when he realizes that the book he has been waiting months for is finally available... 

...this reminder to trust him with the days ahead..."Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength" (Corrie Ten Boom). Release your anxiety, smile, and Believe Big by fixing your eyes on Jesus!...