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Today I had a great morning with the kids. We did our Bible time, then had to rush off to the Doctor to get shots for Jack. Once there, Nadine commented to the nurse that we were here so Jack could get “shot”. Oh, dear! They all did a great job at the Dr.’s and Jack even smiled at the nurse after all four shots were done and he cried a little. Sweet!

We then ventured to the grocery store where we had to get such essentials as oatmeal and milk and peaches! Again, the kids did great. I somehow maneuvered this gargantuan cart with Nadine & Elijah “driving” the car in front (and getting out at every stop, pretending something-or-other). Jack nestled in his car seat, which barely fit inside the shopping cart basket, and he ended up holding the oats and peaches! We checked out with little incident, both kids were rewarded with gum for such good behavior and off we headed for home to eat lunch!

Well, on our drive home, Elijah got it into his head that he should unbuckle his belts and start monkeying around in the backseat. I told him he would get punished at home, but that didn’t detour him from “enjoying the passing pleasures of sin”. We had all the windows down, and I had a funny feeling (which I should know by now to heed!). Well, next thing I know, Elijah was leaning forward, yellow crocodile shoe in hand, and tossing it OUT the window! I looked in my rear-view mirror just in time to see it skipping and blowing along the highway behind me. I did a quick U-turn and wondered what on earth had gotten into my child. There the shoe was, in the middle of the suicide lane. So, I stopped our van right there, waited for no cars either way, retrieved the shoe, and drove home. Needless to say, the ride home was pretty silent from then on…

After nap-time I polyurethaned some crown-moulding Matthew made for a job he’s doing on Saturday. Then I finished making chicken cacciatore for supper. At one point I looked out the kitchen window from where I had just gone to check on my pot, to see Elijah ON TOP OF our van. Is life ever boring?

Today Nadine was pretending to be a Doctor and had a thermometer with which she was “taking her temper”.

Jack topped the growth charts and is in the 97th percentile for height and weight.

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There is way too much to write about our recent trip to Belize. But I will share a few photos.

Here is our “Jack of all Shades” at the beach!

A group shot of us all at the Mayan Ruins of Xunantunich!

Elijah drinking the remains of Red Bull

All of us girls after our hair was braided. Vanessa (in green) got saved that day! A definite treasure that day!

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A cute prayer by Nadine the other day, as I had cut her peanut butter toast into three pieces:
“Thank you, Lord for toast & toast & toast. Amen.”

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A great day with the kids. Some days I FEEL like a mom, instead of, well, like a drill seargent or a frustrated lunatic. It’s exciting when things go well and their feet get dirty and then wash away in the bathtub. It’s especially exciting to me when bedtime goes smoothly and no one sneaks down the stairs right about the time I think they’re asleep. Sure, we had almost an entire bottle of apple juice spilled on the floor when Elijah tried to “help”. We had handfuls of hair at another point of the day. There were loud wails for Daddy when something didn’t want to be done.

The hardest part of my day was finding out that Matthew’s Wegener’s Disease has worssened in his sinuses, and hearing his confession of how it hurt to get them cleaned out at the Dr. today. I am filled with wonder at what is going to become of us through all of this. One thing is that I love Matthew SOOOO much more each day and appreciate every moment with him. His heavy breathing at night no longer bothers me. I am thrilled he is beside me. He is the best, most incredible husband in the entire world.

>This is my first ever blog experience. I’ve heard so much about it! Thought it might help me get back into writing. Three kids under age 3 keep me pretty busy, but I never want to be too busy to write!
Also in my first entry I thought it might be appropriate to explain the title of my blog. In Genesis 42-44, Joseph’s brothers leave Egypt with sacks of grain from Joseph’s storehouses. Joseph then commands his servants to restore each man’s money to his sack which they paid for their grain. This is what one of them said as he opened his sack, “My money has been restored and there it is, in my sack!” (42:28) Then I love what Joseph’s steward says to the brothers when they confess their confusion at the money being returned to them, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks.” (43:23) This kind of describes my life. God has given me everything I need. The grain that sustains. Then sometimes I discover pieces of gold in my sack of grain… a little something extra, something rich, something shiny! Sometimes I think, “What is this?! Am I allowed this treasure?” Then I’m left at peace when the Lord reminds me that it was HE Who gave me treasure in my sack.
So, that is the meaning behind this title. I remember telling my mom that if my dream ever came true of publishing a book, I would call it “Gold In My Sack.” Well, I’ll call my first blog that instead. Maybe the book will come one day…
The entries to this blog will include tidbits of gold that God has placed in my life. A lot of it will come from three precious children God has blessed me with and a wonderful husband. My life is really full and I hope I can spill some of its joys out onto these pages.