Grandma Sugar with Kaia & Mathea

Grandma Dede and Mathea

Mattie, Kiki, Ellie in our front yard

Pixar movies and the Bible

I've been studying Daniel (through a Beth Moore BS) with a group of women almost every Wednesday morning for the past 3 months. To read Daniel again over and over, my eyes have been opened to a new level of prophecy and promise that I just never was in tune with before. It reminds me a little of a Pixar cartoon.
Stick with me - being a mom now, we treat our kids to movies in the theater maybe twice a year. We have to see cartoons and even then we have to be careful about content. Pixar does an amazing job of drawing kids in and endearing them to talking cars, scary monsters, the works. BUT I never leave feeling like it was a waste of my time-these are funny movies! They put in humor for parents, the irony and the references to pop culture so lost on kids put a smile on mom & dad's faces.
Where am I going? Daniel has it all. The cute boys who refuse the king's food and become healthier looking than the others, dreams with meanings, the firey furnace, the huge statue, a king who goes mad and lives like an animal, the lion's den. Oh yeah, and all the prophecy, eschatology, and imagery an adult could hope for. Without Revelation, we would be most lost on what the second half of the book is even refering to when it talks about the little horn, the 4 beasts, the Ancient of Days who comes to judge. IT'S AMAZING! Now, I'm not saying the first stories I mentioned are just for kids either. They were real, they were potentially gruesome, they were miraculous. I'm just thinking that it's great how relevent God is to all ages and how in awe I am that I can still study His Word day after day and learn new things about my Savior. It gives me hope - I pray I am never perceived as a "little miss know-it-all". I am still learning and will continue until Christ's return.

Broken Hearts

Last week, my love grew for my husband. Tracy came home from having a drink with a college friend. He got married the same year we did, but sadly he and his wife did not make it to their fifth anniversary like we did. I can't remember what Tracy said they talked about too much and it doesn't matter - he came home. He cares about me and his family enough to give it all he's got. Tracy and I work on our marriage. We make it a priority. We still date monthly, we try to get away every few months even for a weekend, and we talk about whatever is on our mind.

I have been dealing with a hurt in my heart about another marriage that went through turmoil this last year. A marriage that in my view could not be shaken, but it was shaken to its core. Unlike Tracy's friend, this marriage did not end but was taken to the next level after being tested by the fire.

It's painful to be tested. I would rather not ever have to deal with the pain and the brokeness that these couples endured, but I would be a fool to think that Tracy and I are immune because we are having some amazing years. We are all tempted, sin is appealing, but God has given us the Holy Spirit and friends and prayer as tools for the fight. We have been reminded that this marriage is more than just about us - it represents Jesus' relationship with us His church. It is important that our marriage is strong not only for us but for our children and our children's children. I encourage anyone who asks - take time away to just be the 2 of you. Your kids will survive without you even if it's for a few hours. In fact, they will appreciate that their parents love each other enough. Tracy and I are signed up for a marriage conference. I have a link listed there.

We don't have it all figured out but we are having a good time trying!

Side Note: Broncos aren't in the Superbowl but here are the next generation cheerleaders!

Snow - 39 Days and counting

Denver (and Colorado in general) is usually a place where the statement can be made - "If you don't like the weather, just wait an hour..." This winter it cannot be said; in fact, I wish the meteorologist would get it wrong! Don't get me wrong I love snow and winter for that matter, but it snowed yesterday making it the 6th weekend in a row that it snowed. I feel like I'm living in the Midwest again. Our Christmas lights are still up because Tracy can't put the ladder in a safe spot. Looking at the forecast, we have a couple more chances of flurries this week, too. It's been 15 years since the last time snow covered the ground for this long. In the midst of it all, there have been sunny days where we start to thaw, hopeful days where the kids have suited up and played in the drifts outside of our home. But winter is still knocking at our door every night. We are all ready to be able to play outside - the girls on their bikes with all their friends, for me to catch up with my neighbors, nature walks and playground dates.

I have been through these winters in my life. Hard times when everything is cold and bleak. Yet right when I am so tired of it all a fresh layer of snow comes to cover the ugliness and make it beautiful again, or the sunny day comes to bring hope for spring - when the sun is warm and I actually consider taking off my coat. Recently, I came to the end of a personal winter. I feel as though the cold is being shrugged off and replaced with the warm breeze of spring.

There is still a lot of snow that needs to melt both in my life and in my front yard, but there is hope. Spring will be here before I know it and I will welcome it with open arms. I will drink in the newness it brings and flourish!

Crying over spilled cereal

Mornings at our house are anything but dull. Bottles, breakfast, diapers, kisses, messes, showers, clothes, protests, toys, love, hate - all experienced within a matter of 90 minutes before Tracy is out the door trying to catch his bus to work and I pile the girls into the van and get them to school before "gate time" is over. Even among the chaos there is routine. The girls know what is expected of them and they know their responsibilites. Yet it never fails that something gets thrown into the mix and I vow to wake up earlier tomorrow, make coffee the night before, pray before it all begins... Anything to make it easier. Most unexepected is actually predictable in one way or another - guarateed someone will want to watch Clifford while eating breakfast (even though they know the answer is No!), someone will want me to read a book before they are dressed, there will be poop, pee or some bodily accident to clean up, and of course the protest that shows up once in a while - someone will think whining about staying home is acceptable and that this time it will work and they can stay home eating ice cream and watching movies all day (which in their world is what Mom does while they are at school).

One such morning happened not too long ago. I get up from the breakfast table to get the baby some more breakfast and yep that was the sound of a full cereal box going everywhere. I whip around and it's the first time all morning that everyone is completely still...and quiet before the pointing of fingers and the excuses. We all begin cleaning it up because I don't need to know the details. We just need to get it up before I have ground up Cheerios all over. Too late...As the last of the Cheerios go into the trash - what do I hear? Yep, there is goes again. Anger beginning to rise...What happened now? Good intentioned Ellie says, "I was trying to put them back in the box and it fell again." No kidding...just as we are finishing the second attempt at clean-up, Kiki catches the edge of the box with her hand and the box falls on the floor. Let's just say that enough was enough. Tears of anger were in my eyes and I lost it. We all survived that morning - a little late and a little wiser about how to handle a full cereal box. The box didn't tip out of mischief, or out of angry actions, it just happened.
I couldn't help but think later of how many times in my walk with God I tipped over that same cereal box. I fill my day with too many commitments and forget an appointment, I panic because finances aren't in line, Tracy has to travel next week and I will be a single mom for 5 days, I get a phone call telling me that I have to work on a project after I ordered my day...I don't want to have a mess, I'm just trying to go about my day. When upsets come my way my reactions have been varied depending on the day and the situation but God's reactions have never changed. He looks at me and tells me - okay, let's clean it up together. He wants to help. He doesn't change his response to me. He asks in His gentle voice if I understand how to handle it. I'm sure I need a refresher course in how to handle the everyday. Well, here I am ready to learn. No matter what side of the mess I'm on, no more tears over spilled cereal. Today - I am here Lord, I am your servant and I am listening.