oh...

and about the boys- Sunday morning Noah woke up with that rash Eli's had all over one side of his face!  We think they have Roseola, but its getting better, and Eli's ear isn't bothering him anymore.  Phew!  What a week!!!  (The baby boys are fine.)

Pure Rebellion: Second Night

After the amazing response the first night, we knew Jonny had to take more kids the second night.  This was a little crazy because we were supposed to go to a wedding that day, which meant I went alone, at night, all the way up to Mt. Angle, with all four boys!  But that's another story for another time.  :)  Now, for those of you who didn't go to the event, I want to say that this was not a preachy, churchy-like purity event.  It was very modern/relevant and very engaging.  The gospel was presented, along with testimonials, a doctor's perspective of "safe sex", hip-hop dancing, dramas, and music.  It was AWESOME and so, so powerful!  

Here's our email to our House Church from the second night:

Hey guys!  Just wanted to send one more update from the second night.  Jonny & two other YL leaders took 15 more kids last night.  This group was a little more shy, but two girls went up at the end. More were moved, but too shy to go up front.  One boy kept repeating over and over how powerful it was and how he wished the whole school could hear it.  Another boy who came is from a hard home life- his dad was just arrested before Christmas and charged as a sex offender.  It was in the paper and the whole community knows about it, so he's been having a real rough time.  Jonny said he was in tears during the program and again as they walked to the car.  He's really shy, so pray he can find a good role model to feel comfortable with getting close to.

Here's a couple FB statuses: 
From a junior boy:  "My life has been opened up and filled with Jesus Christ."
From a sophomore boy:  "When everyone is smoking and drinking it's no longer rebellious, If you want to be a true rebel, follow Jesus.  It's the only rebellion left."

There were students who commented on these posts saying they wished they had come.  

Between the two nights, there were a little over 30 kids from the Turner area.  We're excited to see how this can impact the culture at Cascade!

~Jonny & Jess

Pure Rebellion: First Night

Here is an email I sent out to our house church (home fellowship group) after the first night.  We haven't even been a part of our house church this year (I think we went twice) because our life has been so crazy, but I am so thankful that they were praying for us and the students all week.  

Hi Dear House Church Friends,
Wow. Wow. Wow.  After our week of kidney stones, children with fevers, ear infections & freakish rashes, out of town company, and overall STRESS, God did a great work in the group of students we brought to Pure Rebellion.  Our turn out wasn't the 30 students we anticipated, but God knew who needed to be there.  The enemy seemed to be against getting us there all week- even on the way there we were running late in the pouring rain and were stopped by an unmoving train.  We re-routed and finally made it and the Lord met us!  We had guys and girls in tears over the final skit of Jesus taking our suffering upon his shoulders. And our entire row went up to bow down & surrender to Jesus at the end!  When it ended the whole group circled in prayer.  As we walked to the car, the kids were saying things like, "AWESOME!"  "Thank you for bringing us!"  "That was so good!"  "I want to come to your church!"  and one boy wiped his eyes and said about the skit, "I haven't cried like that in seven years!  I loved that skit. At the end when Jesus jumped in and took it for her, I was like YEAH!!  They should record that skit; I want to see it again!" The car rides home were more of the same things... excitement over the event and repeating/sharing the things that they thought were cool.  There were girls who really liked hearing from the married couple about when a guy is willing to wait, that is REAL love.  When we all got back to Turner, Jonny and the other two leaders stayed late at the club building talking and praying with the kids.  The things that stood out were the topic of a kiddy-pool christian and rebelling against our culture to live pure lives.   

One really cool story:  There was a sophomore boy who moved away after last year and has been (we think) living alone in Cottage Grove.  He came from a terrible home and is now an emancipated minor because of abuse from his parents.  He randomly came up to visit one of the other sophomore boys and ended up coming along.  At the end of the program, when they gave the first invitation to follow Jesus, he bolted from his seat with a look of urgency and went up front and bowed down.  The boy sitting next to him put his hands on his face and burst into tears.  Jonny went up front to sit with the boy and through the next two invitations to follow Jesus and live a pure life, they all came up.  Jonny encouraged them to pray and lay it all down before the Lord, and that He would be faithful to start a redemptive work in their lives.  At the end of the night they gave that boy a bible, and its looking like a christian family in Turner may be opening up their home for him to come live with them.  PRAISE THE LORD! 

There were so many more that we wanted to come, so Jonny is going to try to bring more tonight.  We'll see what kind of response he gets. 

Phew, talk about goose bumps!  Love you guys & thank you for praying.  Keep praying that these kids could be set apart at Cascade High School and be a witness to their unsaved friends!  

~Jonny & Jess

Our week leading up to Pure Rebellion

We've been planning for a month or so to take a bunch of kids from Cascade to this Purity event at our church, but we did not plan on the attack that came leading up to the weekend.  The first thing that happened (Sunday night) was my kidney stone drama.  Monday was a holiday, so Jonny already had the day off, but he did not go to Young Life that night, and missed the opportunity to be reminding/inviting kids to come.  Then he took Tuesday off because I was still sore... which meant another day to not being able to talk to kids about coming.  Wednesday was good.. That night, at Campaigners, Jonny was able to teach about baptism and one girl was baptized!  I stayed home in case the pain returned.  Praise the Lord it didn't, but Eli and Noah both woke up crying about 10pm.  Eli had an ear ache and Noah had a fever.  That night was not a good night for sleep.  Ahh!  Thursday rolled in with exhaustion and stress.  Eli woke up with a strange rash all around his mouth, and we had out-of-town company coming Friday.  I didn't know what was going on with Eli and I had a very messy house to clean!  Noah was fine, but Eli's ear pain was off and on.  Thursday night, both at the end of ourselves, Jonny and I were less than patient with each other.  Friday morning brought hope with a phone call from church saying that they were praying for us.  I was so encouraged and my spirit was lifted.  After a mess up involving timing of someone to watch Eli (Ugh!  I'm so dumb!  And I'm not a big fan of leaving our kids, especially all of them, for someone to watch, so I had them split between three different people.)  We finally were walking into the church building ready for Pure Rebellion....

... stay tuned... 

Young Life

Jonny has been a part of Young Life for almost two years now, but just recently God has opened the door for Jonny to be more involved and take on the role called "teacher staff".  Its basically like a part time job that will take the place of his coaching jobs, and will allow him to spend more time discipling young kids.  Young Life is an outreach for unchurched kids.  It is not a youth group, nor is it associated with a church.  It was strange for us to get used to because the Monday night- club night- is so wild and crazy.  Its basically just provides a safe place for high school kids to come hang out- in an organized way.  They play lots of crazy games, sing songs, dance... mostly be LOUD!  The boys and I go usually twice a month and Eli loves it, Siah is somewhat okay, and Noah is velcroed to my side.  Zeke sleeps through most of it.  The kids that know the Lord participate in the events that have some actual scriptural substance to them.  Then, those kids are encouraged to invite their unsaved friends to attend club night where a very warm and fuzzy, watered down "Jesus talk" is given. 

Some of the opportunities Jonny has had with Young Life includes sharing the gospel at weekly Young Life meetings (club), leading bible studies in his classroom and at Wednesday night YL bible studies (campaigners), leading worship and taking kids to spiritual retreats.  I have also been attending the bible studies and am a "leader" for the girls when we break apart for discussion and prayer.  Its been really fun!  

Jonny has had it on his heart for a long time to start an all Cascade youth fellowship meeting- joining all the youth groups (and christian kids who don't attend youth groups) together for one night each month.  We had our first meeting, called One Voice, and it was awesome!  (funny story... our church used to have something similar, called One Voice, and when Jonny was explaining the idea he mentioned the name and the youth pastors loved it!)  75 kids came, and Jonny led loud worship with some students.  We broke apart into groups by grade.  I went with the junior girls... all 25 of 'em!  

We are also going to be inviting groups of kids into our house to join our family for pizza & game night.  Jonny has been meeting with three youth pastors in the Turner/Aumsville area and has a desire to work along side them and help kids get plugged into churches.  He might start taking turns attending their youth groups.  ALSO Jonny has it on his heart to develop a bible/theology/apologetics (Jonny's passions) course or courses that students from the high school can take during the school day at one of the churches for high school credit! The opportunities for reaching the students at Cascade High School are abounding! 

Since this ministry is becoming such a big part of our lives, I may be starting up a blog just for ministry related things... so people will know how to pray for us and be encouraged by all that God is doing in these kids' lives.  Tonight is a bible study night and Jonny is teaching on baptism and some of the kids will be getting baptized!  Then on Friday night we are each taking a car full of students to an awesome purity event, Pure Rebellion, our church is hosting.  The event will be a radical presentation on sex and relationships.  The presenters  will be sharing in a relevant and powerful way as they speak bluntly about porn, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, addiction, bullying, same-sex relationships, sexting and suicide.  Steve & Tammy, the YL team leaders who we've grown to love, are also bringing cars full of kids!  Pray that these kids will be met by the Lord in a powerful way!

Here is a pic of one of the YL girls watching the boys for us at Steve & Tammy's house during a leader meeting. 

Eli!

Today is the 22nd, so its Eli's turn to get some blog recognition!  I can't believe that next month, he'll be 5 1/2!  He's my little buddy.  Okay, so here's the scoop on the boy in the Oelkers' residence whose known as "Bubba":

1. He's very athletic.
2. He's very intelligent.
3. He's very outgoing.
4. He's very kind.
5. He loves to cuddle.
6. He still wakes up at night to come into our bed.
7. He is very good with babies.
8. He is very helpful.
9. Just like his daddy, he has a sporty style and is very picky about how clothes fit and feel. 
10. Just like his mommy, he is very routine and loves a schedule.  Every night, before bed, he says, "Tell me our day tomorrow."
11. If his drawing or writing isn't "perfect" he gets SO upset and wants to throw it away.
12. He is very competitive.
13. He loves smoothies.
14. He does not like designs on his clothing that are not symmetrical.
15. His favorite sports are soccer, basketball & baseball.
16. He sweats like crazy in his first few hours of sleep.  If I don't remember to pull his covers down, there will be drips of sweat all down his chest and back, wet hair, and wet sheets!  Ick!
17. He favors chocolate over vanilla.
18. He has an amazing memory.
19. He enjoys cleaning and organizing... like his mommy.
20. He has LOTS of energy! 
21. He likes to play games.
22. He's a great traveler.
23. He has a tender conscience.
24. He loves his brothers.
25. His favorite thing about spending time with Daddy is:  "tickle fights."
26. When his bed is made, it makes him sad to climb in at night and "ruin" it.
27. He loves playing Mario Cart & Jonny says Eli is better at it than him.
28. He says he doesn't like stories, but will sit in my lap for an hour listening to me read.
29. He is the one who passes out food in the van.
30. He loves Jesus!  We truly believe that as much as a 5 year old can understand the gospel & believe- he does.

Again? Really?

So I have a kidney stone again.  Last time I had kidney stones I was 6mos pregnant with Noah and the urologist asked if we planned to have more kids because kidney stones are somewhat common in pregnancies, and especially so for women who have already had stones.  :/  Praise God that this time I wasn't pregnant, and it was just after having the baby.  Still, what an awful experience.

I've been having strange symptoms since Feb. 10th, but the real pain started yesterday afternoon.  The timing of it all is interesting... Jonny had been having one of those overwhelming days (that many of us go through) where the kids were just tugging at every nerve.  He had said three times yesterday that he feels "done" having kids.  (This is a never ending conversation that we have and our thoughts change on a weekly basis.)  He was already feeling fried when we decided to go to Walmart with all four children.  I don't know why we thought that would be a good plan, but in the store we went- two grocery carts full of kids.  :)  As soon as we started dropping groceries into our basket I felt sharp, shooting pain up my lower abdomen.  However, I toughed it out and finished our shopping.  Then I went to the photo center to print out birth announcements to send to relatives.  That's when my pain started intensifying.  (I hope our relatives are very grateful for those announcements because I was in some major pain trying to get them done!)  On the way home, I couldn't even sit up straight in my seat.  Once we got home, I collapsed on the couch holding my right side.  Eli was crying, Noah was angry at something, Siah was walking around with a glass cup suctioned to his face, and Zeke was crying.  Poor Jonny had to take care of his whole family.  I went to the other room and could hear everyone falling apart as Jonny tried to meet everyone's needs.  I prayed that God wouldn't let me die because my family needed me.  :)  I called my mom and told her I couldn't move my right leg, and my right side and back were killing me.  She instructed me to call neighbor Nona immediately and go to the ER.  I did.  It was about 5:30pm.  Eli was in tears when I left, he said, "The HOSPITAL!?"  Poor boy.  I am SO, SO, SO thankful God has given us such great neighbors who have become dear friends to our family.  Jonny always says that God knew we needed them and they needed us.

I was in excruciating pain.  And I'm familiar with pain.  I've delivered four good sized boys without any medication, and this was way worse.  Nona was so sweet.  She wheeled me into the ER in a wheelchair and rubbed my back as I crouched over whimpering.  I told the registration lady that I thought maybe my appendix was rupturing and they needed to hurry and fix me because I have four children and my baby was going to be hungry soon.  I was so worried about Zeke.  Anyway, they finally got me into a room and gave me some medication that was wonderful.  I'm talking about complete pain elimination.  Amazing!  Praise God we live in a place that has doctors and hospitals and amazing medications!  After Jonny got the boys to bed, he and Nona traded places.  It was a little after 7pm when Jonny walked in with crying Baby Zeke.  :(  Praise the Lord, again, for medicine that is okay for breastfeeding mothers.  He was so hungry!

A little later I went in for a CT scan that confirmed I did have a kidney stone 7mm long!  It had traveled down most of my ureter and was 3cm from my bladder.  Yikes.  At first they said they couldn't send me home with any oral medication that was safe for breastfeeding mothers.  He asked if my baby was familiar with bottles.  NO!!!  I've always breastfed exclusively and LOVE it.  I didn't want to stop nursing!  I didn't even think he'd take a bottle.  BUT GOD... He is so, so good.  The doctor spoke with some other doctors after seeing how devastated I was about the no-nursing option and they found an oral pain medication that was safe to take.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jesus!  So that's where I am now.  We haven't contacted the urologist yet because it was so close to my bladder, which means close to passing.  We'll see how the next day or two go.  *Big sigh*

What a mind and thought provoking experience this all was, though.

First of all, when I'm in so much pain its funny how the trivial things that I waste my time thinking about all fade.  The only things that mattered when I was feeling so, so, so terrible was Jonny, Eli, Noah, Siah & Zeke.  My precious family.  And once I felt better and was able to contact a few people, I was so thankful for such wonderful friends and family. 

Second:  Since I didn't have my own room, just a private curtain, we could hear everything around us.  A lady screaming and crying because of a cracked pelvic bone, a baby screaming, a lady hacking and coughing from asthma complications due to a lifetime of smoking, a boy whose arm was run over by a car, and the lady right on the other side of me, all alone, suffering from some complications with her dialysis.  What a terrible awful world we live in with suffering all around us.  And we live where there are intelligent doctors and amazing medications.  What about those who live in poor countries?  Heart. Breaking.

Third:  *Another big sigh*  What about our family?  Is this a coincidence that this all happened the day Jonny was completely overwhelmed with kids?  Do we have that last baby like we've talked about?  I'm at risk for kidney stones and it can be much riskier while pregnant.  We've been tossing around the idea of (TRYING to) wait about 3 years and make a decision... The idea of never being able to hold another infant, my own infant, is terribly sad for me.  I don't necessarily want anyone to answer this for us (unless the Lord has given a word of knowledge or prophecy, of course) Its something that Jonny and I will have to come to a decision about through much prayer.  But we'd appreciate your prayers too!

Fourth: The lady that was next to us didn't have a ride home.  City transportation was driving her home.  We heard her say that she had one child- a son, listed as her next of kin.  Jonny whispered to me, "Where is he!?"  Its not right that a lady would be alone in the hospital when she has family.  I absolutely love having a houseful of boys, but one thing that I've considered about not having a girl is that I won't have that close friendship that most moms and daughters experience.  Usually caregivers are women, and it seems like daughters are the ones who take on that role for their parents before sons.  I don't want daughters-in-laws to feel that obligation if I ever needed help.  Jonny is SO sweet.  Today he sat Eli and Noah down for a serious talk.  He told them the story about the lady all alone in the hospital.  He told them what a widow is and that if I am ever in that position they are to STEP UP and take care of me.  (tears)  He told them they're going to be big, strong, godly men and that it is their responsibility to take care of me.  Oh, so sweet.  :)

Phew, what an emotional last 24 hours!  If you're healthy, thank GOD... its so wonderful to feel well!

Zeke!

Baby Z Bear, little Zekers turned 2mos. today!  Here's some things about Zeke!

1. Sleeps a lot.
2. Only wakes up 2 times at night to nurse.
3. Has chubby, kissable cheeks.
4. Poops a lot!  :)
5. Likes his swing.
6. Started smiling at 7 weeks.
7. Weighs over 10lbs.
8. Has awesome hair that sticks up on top.  
9. CUTE.CUTE.CUTE.CUTE.CUTE.
10. Farts a lot... especially when he stretches.
11. Is tolerating his car seat better. 
12. Likes to be swaddled.
13. Likes to be held by Mommy best.
14. Tolerates his big brothers touching and holding him.
15. Tolerates his Daddy's never ending kisses.
16. Likes the Moby Wrap.
17. Doesn't have many spit-ups.
18. Has a heavenly scent.
19. Has incredibly soft and irresistible skin.
20. Has sparkling blue eyes. 

Siah!

Okay, today is the 10th, so its Siah Bean's turn!  Here's a look into who our 3rd precious boy is:

1. He LOVES basketball... or anything ball.
2. He also loves to do what big brothers are doing, so even though ball games are his favorite, if pushing trucks around is the game of the hour- that's what he will do!  Happily!
3. He is so, so, so CHEERFUL!  Everything with a smile.  
4. He has the most adorable smile.  Seriously!  I can't get enough of it.  
5. He has a kind heart.  So willing to help.
6. He has a great laugh.
7. When he runs, one arms swing back and forth while the other one does this round-about circular motion- super cute.
8. He loves to stand at the front door and say, "Rae Say GO!" (ready set, go) and run to the end of the hallway and back.
9. He always claps for himself if he threw something away, ran, made a basket, etc.
10. He knows whose clothes belong to who.  (that seems smart to me for a 21mo. old.)
11. He loves his bink & blankie.
12. He likes to dance.
13. He likes dogs and cats.
14. He likes to pretend he's on the phone.
15. He likes to watch Mommy & Daddy raise their eyebrows & tries to mimic it.
16. He likes to cuddle after he wakes up.
17. He LOVES Zeke and gets super excited to hold him.  He squeals and makes a sound much like a dolphin.
18. Water is "wa-wa", blankie and bink are both "B", mine is "ma". 
19. He loves to go outside.
20. He hates the nursery at church, however he is very friendly with strangers.
21. He thinks his vitamins are candy.
22. He is usually silent in the car.
23. Once he's laid down for nap, he's usually completely asleep after 2 minutes.
24. If he needs me and I'm in another room he shouts, "MAAAA!"
25. He gets really excited to greet Daddy after work.
26. He likes to get his toy laptop and sit next to me when I'm using mine.
27. He is very quick to obey... quicker than his big brothers...
28. He LOVES to brush his teeth, so much that we sometimes have to keep the bathroom door shut to keep him away.
29. He likes to get dizzy.
30. He likes to sing songs.

Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours

My book club group met again on Tuesday.  This time around the book that was chosen was called Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours by Dr. Keven Leman.  (He's the guy who also wrote The Birth Order Book.)  I didn't finish the book.  I really wasn't into reading another parenting book; in fact, its due back at the library tomorrow and I'm not sure I'm going to renew it.  I know I'll read parenting books in the future, but I'm just not in the mood right now.  Everyone has different ideas and suggestions, and I feel like we're doing alright.  I definitely don't feel like we've got the parenting thing down pat, by any means.  I'm open to learning, just not right now- not on this topic.  I'm not desperate to solve any problem or fix any attitude.  And when I do feel desperate, I'll pray.  :)  And I'll probable revisit this book again at a later time. 

However, if you're interested in actually knowing what the book is about...  He's big on what he calls "reality discipline."  For example, if your eight year old forgets his shorts for soccer practice, he will learn through reality (how uncomfortable it is to wear jeans to soccer practice) not to do that again.  He tells parents not to fix their children's problems, and to let them fail (age appropriately and safely).  If they brake someone else's toy- they should pay for it.  That kind of thing.  Also he emphasises the importance of letting kids make their own choices to learn responsibility, but within the umbrella of Mom & Dad's authority.  He talks about God establishing an order on earth and that parents are given authority over their children, and are ultimately in charge.  He refers to Ephes. 6:1-3, and within the idea of obedience talks about how important relationships are, compared to rules.  Leman says that "rules before relationship leads to rebellion."  He also thinks that "the rod" in the bible is the most frequently misunderstood passage.  Interesting stuff, but my brain is mush right now.... I'll pick it up later.  :)

Noah!

I thought it would be a fun idea to give a quick update on the boys every month on the date of their birth, so since today is the 6th, that means Noah is up first!  (I doubt I can keep this up every month, but maybe every once in awhile.  :)  )

Mr. Noah, my little Noey Babes.  What sets him apart in the Oelkers clan?  Well, let me tell you:

1. He is very creative.  He's always making up some story or playing some imaginary game.
2. He LOVES his toy animals, especially his tigers and lion.  (Kinda funny when you think about Noah & the ark full of animals.)
3. He doesn't do well with loud noise, but is probably our loudest child.
4. He loves to break dance.
5. He loves the movie Kung Fu Panda and tries to do his own little Kung Fu moves.
6. He thinks his muscles are in his elbows.
7. He calls his ankles his "nankles", think is "sink", jump is "jrump", thank you is "nank you"
8. He loves to read stories- his favorites right now are Dumbo & The Sagy Bagy Elephant... basically any story about elephants.
9. He gets frustrated very easily, but is actually the least violent boy in our home.
10. His favorite song is "Father Abraham."
11. He loves peanut butter toast for breakfast.
12. His favorite color is yellow.
13. He will not eat a slice of cheese unless it's shape is a perfect rectangle. 
14. His pancakes have to be cut very specifically, if not- watch out! 
15. He has a great laugh.
16. He loves candy.
17. He knows his letters, but likes to pretend he doesn't.
18. He gives great hugs.
19. He doesn't like being in big groups, but is very talkative and friendly in small, quiet settings.
20. He has an amazing smile.  I love his teeth.  :)
21. He is very intrigued with the story of Jesus on the cross. Every night, before bed, he asks to look at that picture in his bible.
22. He enjoys making "fires"- which is a mixture of toys (legos, blocks, tools, kitchen toys, etc.) carefully laid in a pile.  There will be "fires" all over our house, but you have to be careful because sometimes a toy in the pile is actually "poison."
23. He has awesome white hair.
24. Every time he prays, he thanks God for his brothers.  If someone forgets to thank God for "New Baby" he gets offended.
25. He forgets Zeke's name... he is called "New Baby."
26. He loves to get the Old Maid.  We don't bother to tell him that actually means he lost.
27. He prefers to watch Eli play Super Mario, rather than play himself... too frustrating.
28. He loves to be complemented on his strength.  "Yeah, I'm so strong!" 
29. He loves to have his back scratched.  
30. He says he's going to work at the Dari Mart when he grows up... or maybe be a UPS driver.  :)

 

Recalling the event isn't nearly as funny as it was when he actually saw pumpkins on someones front porch- in January!  I was laughing SO hard- I'm talking, deep belly laugh.  When we past the house, Noah shouted, "They have pumpkins on their porch!!!  What!?  That is so silly, its not even Harvest Time!  What!?  What!?  That's CRAZY!"  His voice was like 5 octaves higher than normal.  It was so funny that he recognized its way past the time to have pumpkins on our porches, but the shrieking way he spoke- and then when he said, "it's not even Harvest Time!!!"- that was just over the top hilarious.  :)

Titus 2 Shower!

Wasn't this so cute!?  Those are all of my boys' infant pics!

  I had a baby shower last Sunday.  It was AMAZING!  A few months ago when my friend, Grace, brought up the idea of a shower I hesitated because I just had one... 20mos ago!  I definitely don't need anything, so I said "I just need wisdom."  Grace and I have always talked about how we love to glean all we can from godly families, more specifically, learn from moms who are doing an awesome job raising their kids.  I said, "what if we just invite a panel of women to share their experiences."  Thus the idea was born- a Titus 2 shower.    Here's what Titus 2:3-5 says:  "the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."  The guests all shared practical advice for me in the form of recipes and kid activities, which was really neat.  :)

 

The 25 or so of us who were there were so encouraged, and God was SO glorified!  The first lady who shared was Cindy.  I told the group I asked her to share with us because she has three grown children who are living for the Lord.  Their family is a testimony of that proverb that says "Train up your child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."  God deserves all the glory, and she had some wonderful things to share that she learned while shepherding her kids.  The second lady, Catherine, is a mom of four- ages 11-18 (ish).  The thing that I love about their family is that her kids all have sincere, genuine friendships with each other.  They all have a real love and respect for one another, and I wanted to hear how she cultivated that in their daily family living.  The last lady to share was Dana- a mom of seven, ages 1-14, the first four are boys!  I love that her boys are so polite and nurturing to the younger siblings, so I asked her to share how she survived a busy life with BOYS.  I was SO blessed by all three ladies.  They all had neat examples and insights to share from their experiences.  They also each shared a regret.  And they all shared verses that they cling to or refer to in various parenting situations.  Like I said, it was A-MAZING!  I know everyone was blessed because before I could even get thank you's out, I was receiving emails thanking ME for inviting them.  Friends were saying the shower was like a women's retreat or mommy conference.  SO COOL!  Praise the Lord! 

Zeke's diaper cake made by Grace.

ooo-ing and ahh-ing over Zekers. 

My sweet red-headed friends who helped put on the shower.

Cindy sharing with us her pearls of wisdom.

The other two precious speakers.

I was inducted into the 4 Boys Club!  Complete with a 4BC sash, tiara & frilly wand.  :)  I was nursing Zeke, so you can't see the sash very well with my nursing cover there, but its super cute!  The three girls behind me each have four boys also.  (Dana actually has 5 now but her first 4 children were boys.)

As our church secretary and Women's Ministry Leader... and just because she's so lovely, Cindy is so dear to so many woman!

Cheese!  I was having such a wonderful time.  :)

Me & Grace.  :)

Susanna Wesley

I read this book (Susanna Wesley by Sandy Dengler) right after Zeke was born but forgot to make a post about it.  It was a quick read about the life of Susanna Wesley, John Wesley's mother.  John Wesley, along with his brother Charles, are known for founding the Methodist movement.  He was an open-air preacher and encouraged people that they could experience Jesus personally.  Susanna's life was not a very happy one.  In fact, I thought it was quite horrible.  However, what I liked about her life was that Susanna consistently and fervently loved God, studied His word, and raised her children in the Lord.  She was an extremely hard worker and very routine about her day.  The book is not a detailed autobiography of the Wesley life, but more like a detailed timeline.  The back of the book summaries the story like this:

" Susanna Annesley, born in seventeenth-century England, was the last of twenty-five children.  She was exceptionally bright, and beautiful, with an insatiable love for reading.  By thirteen, she could read Greek and Hebrew, was well versed in Scripture, and had already formed strong political and theological views.  She eventually married Samuel Wesley, a loving , strong-willed rector in the Church of England.  but her life with Sam was turbulent and frequently unhappy.  Susanna Wesley knew what it was to suffer trials.  
An impoverished life in hostile towns, the loss of nine of her nineteen children, frequent illnesses, cruel torment from zealous Whigs, and a spendthrift husband who nurtured his dreams more than his family, were not enough, however, to squelch Susanna's spirit.  She continued to teach her children to honor God and obey His Word.  
Then, nearing the end of her earthly life, she made a wonderful, awesome discovery."