Our life in a very wordy nutshell...

Anybody else ready for fall??? I know I know- it's about 2 months early to say that but I'm READY! Of course, this summer is just wacky here at the Howells' - I think the school routine will actually be more relaxed (check back in 2 more months to see me eat my words!)
I thought I'd post some family updates just because I can.
Brad-
Well, I know he lives here because I'm still doing his laundry ;) He has been very busy with his last MSU Masters class that ends next week! (PTL!) So ok, you'd think that trying to fit in a semester class into 6 weeks the prof. would lighten the load a bit- uh, no. Brad has to listen to unbelievably long (boring?! =) symphonies and not just listen- but analyze and KNOW them so that for his test the prof. can play any 30 second clip (from about 15 symphonies that are about 10-20 minutes long EACH) plus reading, a presentation, and a 15 page paper. WHA???? Brad is doing great - all I have to say is better him than me! yikes.
So aside from that he was at Bandcamp all last week (which is loved!). He's also a New Teacher Trainer for National Heritage Academies (he gets to screw up all the new music teachers ;) tehee...) So he's had 3 different weeks of meetings during the summer.
Oh- and he's teaching about 9 private instrument lessons.
And he's trying to be an available Daddy and Husband too.
Poor guy! I'm super proud of his though- and we're both REEEEALLLY looking forward to August 15th when all this other junk will be over! *whew*
Jaedon-
We've decided that since his Star Wars obsession has not waned (even slightly) that we're going to let him watch the first movie (as in number 1...not the first one released. Man, I really need to learn those titles... Hold one let me ask Jaedon: "Phantom Menace" ok... cleared that up. ;)
anyway, we're watching it in style. Uncle Andy has a home theatre in his basement - stadium seating, 60 some inch screen and complete surround sound. I'm even looking forward to watching the Podrace scene there! =) So that's this week - after a year of knowing all there is to know he finally gets to SEE some of it!
And next week, his birthday, we're having some fellow "Jedis" over for a little party.
We got Jaedon a New-to-Him bike for his bday. It is bigger than his other one and he's doing great with no training wheels! Goal number 1 for the summer accomplished!
He also has discovered the world of reading chapter books. Oh what a world is opening to him when he sees that he can read long, fun stories all for himself!! And I'm already getting a KICK out of seeing him sit outside with his nose in a book! =)
Seth-
Oh Seth. He is SUCH a boy! As you can see from the pictures the boys LLLLOOOVVEE to play dress up (or maybe it's not called that for boys?) They're favorite "outfits" are pairs of WINTER pjs that I picked up at a garage sale. The jammies are "BatMan" and "Superman...complete with a cape". So yeah they wake up in the morning, get out of their sleeping jammies and change into their supermen jammies... LONG SLEEVES and PANTS in 80 degrees!! blah~
Seth has a lot of creativity and imagination. He's spunky and has a great sense of humor.
AND (drum roll please) is POTTY TRAINED!!!! Yay. Goal number 2- check.

Owen-
He's just a busy bundle of fun right now. He loves to climb (and is fearless of course). The other day I found his pacifier on the top rung of Jaedon's bunkbed ladder. yep. He loves to wrestle with his brothers and OH does he LOOOVE his brothers! He "says" what a Dog and Cat 'say', Mama, Daddee and 'Thank you' (ish). He, however is NOT walking yet (goal number 3 not quite accomplished ;) but that's ok. He's learned an adorable butt-in-the-air crawl that cracks us up.

And for da Mama-
I'm trying to enjoy each day with my boys - the little ones and my big one when he's here. I'm not sure I'm going to like Jaedon being gone all day starting too soon. I don't know what in the world Seth is going to do without his big brother here to play with!
I'm pursuing some ministry opportunities that I'm excited about. I'll keep you posted when there's more to share.
I'm looking forward to celebrating Brad's graduation at an Open House this weekend, and Jaedon's birthday next week. I'm really looking forward to our vacation - we've rented a cottage with Brad's family and I am SOOOOOo looking forward to it! Then we're headed to PA for a wedding, hiking hopefully, and visiting a friend with a new baby.
So- there you have it. If you're still reading this you're either 1. SUPREMELY bored or 2. my parents! ;)
So what's up with you??

Ode to a Grandma

Jessie Dean is spending her retirement as a missionary in Togo, Africa.

Togo —

At an age when many people are content with improving their golf swing, 74-year-old Jessie Dean has chosen a different type of retirement.

In 2005, the recently retired schoolteacher packed her bags and headed from Pennsylvania to the West African country of Togo. Four years later, she is still there, serving as a short-term missionary through ABWE’s assistant missionary program (AMP).

AMPers typically serve three-week to two-year terms, but Jessie’s original nine-month term has turned into years as her love for the people of Togo keeps her coming back.

Although she has 23 grandchildren and visits family in the United States once a year, she says she has no plans of settling down here anytime soon. That’s because her work in Africa is not only her joy, it’s also her personal fountain of youth.

“I think that giving your life and heart to the Lord keeps you alert, and the Lord keeps me young because of it,” Jessie says. “I never wanted to be one who retired and gave up. I could have stayed at home and knitted. Instead, I’ve found that serving the Lord is a more beneficial way to spend my time. I plan on being in Africa as long as the Lord needs me here.”

An Unusual Retirement Plan

Jessie didn’t always think that way. After almost 40 years of working in both public and Christian school systems, she approached retirement with a typical American mindset. “If you would have asked me 10 years ago what I’d do in my retirement, I’d have said that I was going to stay at home and quilt. If you would have told me I would go to Africa, I would have told you that you’re crazy,” Jessie said with an effervescent laugh.

Yet God’s calling began to take shape in ways that Jessie never imagined. Close to her retirement, Jessie’s doctor announced he was moving to Africa and was looking for a volunteer to teach his children. He asked her if she’d consider the position. Although she had never traveled outside of the United States, Jessie jumped at the chance. “When I decided to come to Africa, I had a peace that passes all understanding … up to that point I had been kind of a scaredy-cat. But God took that all away from me.”

Jessie’s tasks aren’t so different from her time as a teacher in the United States, but the environment is a world apart. Instead of drawing a paycheck, she now uses her retirement savings to support her work teaching MKs, training Christian teachers, and consulting in schools.

Counting the Cost

As an act of faith, Jessie decided to draw upon her retirement funds to support herself and her ministry. In return God has given her countless blessings. “You can’t out give God,” she says. “He always gives so much more back.

“I always think ‘trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding’. You need to be in God’s will to be happy. It has nothing to do with money.” In fact, sometimes Jessie thinks money can get in the way. “I didn’t have culture shock when I went to Africa. Instead, I had it when I returned to America. I saw how much people had, how little respect they had for those things, and how much they still wanted. But I’ve come to know that until people really give their heart and life to Jesus they will never be satisfied. Christians especially need to give their whole heart to Lord—by supporting missions and working to win souls for Christ—otherwise even they won’t be satisfied.”

Through the AMP, Jessie has been able to experience adventures beyond her wildest dreams. She hopes to encourage others to do the same. “Whether it be money or age, don’t let circumstances get in the way of doing what the Lord calls you to do,” she says. “Just remember that God is good. He takes care of us.”

I read this article and thought "Now there's a hero! Someone who sees the next phase in life as an opportunity to keep on investing!" Oh to have that legacy!
Speaking of legacy and grandparents... my mom was able to visit with us this past week.
My kids don't know it but they have a rare gift - all 4 Grandparents are the "originals". What a blessing for them to not be confronted with the ugliness of divorce even from a distance. Truly a gift.
I am grateful for the influence and heritage that all 4 of our parents are learning to pass along to the next generation. I see great potential as they seek to be intentional with their next phase of life.

Thanks, Grandma, for making us cookies, coloring with us, reading us stories, and telling us about your black and white TV!

And I quote

I heard a great quote today:

"God doesn't just call the enabled- he enables the called."
We were talking about it in the context of parenting- God enabling us to be the best parents we can be to the size of family he chooses -
But this could be said in any context of life- He will give us what we need- strength, motivation, money, time, energy, ideas, creativity- for the specific calling he has for us.
How gracious.

Too good not to share...

I'm reading through the life of Jesus right now in the quiet time. I'm also reading a devotional book written by Beth Moore called "Jesus- 90 Days with the One and Only."
Today's reading was Luke 8:4-15 - the parable of the Sower.
Here's a few excerpts from my reading today:

"Think about one thing you've learned lately simply from being in and hearing the Word."

"What masses of believers hear the Word but continue to live in defeat because they don't apply it? I was one of them. I desperately wanted to change I was miserable in my captivity. I just didn't understand that the power to be transformed was in the authentic application of Scripture. Our obedience to apply the Word of God is so we can live victorious lives that glorify our Father in heaven. Hearing it simply is not enough."

"The good soil represents the one who hears the Word and retains it. "Retains" pictures chewing the Word up and swallowing it until it occupies a place in us. When God's Word is deliberately internalized, it will be authentically externalized because it's no longer what we do - it's part of who we are."

Good stuff huh?

My Deut. 6 hallway

I've been wanting to have these verses hung in our house for a long time now and recently just decided to do it myself! I printed out the verses with some fun fonts, took a few pictures and found a frame that works. I love how the Message version reads these favorite verses found in Deut. 6

"Write these commandments that I have give you today upon your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children.
Talk about them wherever you are; sitting at home or walking in the street; Talk about them from the time you get up in the morning until the time that you fall into bed at night."

Here's to starting strong and finishing well....

LOOK (grand) MA! No training wheels!

Madame Blueberry Syndrome

Have you seen the Veggie Tale movie called Madame Blueberry? I used to hate it because when I worked at Kregel there was a song from there that was on one of the kids kiosks and it played ALL THE TIME.
Well, Dad, I'll give you the condensed version. It's about a blueberry (oddly not a vegetable!) who has everything she needs but she's so "blue hooo hooo" because she wants more. She is visited by salesmen from the new, grand store called the StuffMart who tell her that all her unhappiness can be solved by coming to their store and buying everything she wants.
So, she does.
And just as a cliffhanger I'm NOT going to tell you how it ends. (That and the point of this post is not in the ending of the blueberry's story but the beginning.)

I've been noticing lately that my children are showing some blueberry symptoms. So as I am brainstorming ways to help them with their contenment (or lack thereof) I realized that I am discontent!
I'm discontent with our cultures lack of contentment. Confused yet?
Think about it...Our culture THRIVES even depends upon on our being discontent.
Commericals, billboards, magazines, newspapers ads - all the "marketing" exsits to make you realize you never knew you NEEDED what they're selling until they
make you THINK you NEED it.
What a croc.
This is how I see it lived out with me.
I get the Sunday paper- I see the ads and THEN realize what I need for the week.
HUH?
Seriously?
No No! It's true- I spend MORE when I know what's on sale then when I don't.
Ok, so I have nothing against stocking up sales- that's not where I'm soapboxing today ;-)
I never knew I NEEDED (Fill in the blank) until I see that "everyone has it" or "it's too good a deal to pass up."

*Ahem- that's MRS. Blueberry to you!
We're willing to go to whatever lengths, pay whatever cost (and not just monitarily) all because we want it. (which oddly sounds an awful lot like my child's reasoning when we're at the store!)
So in seeing these symptoms lived out not just in my offspring but in myself I decided to investigate and search a cure.
Thankfully, there IS a cure for the blueberry syndrome!
I found it in an AWESOME book that will help anyone looking to cure the gimmie disease within yourself or your family. The book is called the Treasure Principle. (by Randy Alcorn)
The premise of this book is really quite simple:
"You can't take it with you but you can pass it on ahead."
Spend your money, your time, and your energy on things that will LAST - things that have eternal focus and purpose.
Isn't it just like us to search and scrimp, spend and save in looking for happiness and isn't it just like God to turn us upside down and say - give, give, give and give and find joy!
GIVING cures the GIMMES everytime.

Sweet Swingin

"There's no better place to be than in Grandma's lap."

Mirror or Window?

This past Sunday we were greeted with a sign that said "Welcome to our 'Intergenerational' service!"
This is a fancy way of saying- no kiddie care. (Well, 2yrs and under still have nursery thank goodness).
So this marked the first time Seth joined us for the service. We had no time to "prep" him at home (like we did Jaedon about a million times), and no backpack of things to do. And, if you know Seth even just a little, he's... I don't know the term...he's our little space cadet. =) He is SO imaginative and inventive that he often lives in his own little world. He is not at the age of reason yet either so I was a bit nervous about how the service would go. Jaedon has been joining us for "big church" for the past year so he's an ole pro.
I had a hard time concentrating on the message but I did get some nuggets that I thought were great to share.

Pastor was talking about how we handle times of adversity in our lives. (okay, so calling an Intergenerational service and adversity is stretching it a bit ... ;-) He had 2 illistrations. He said people tend to either be a mirror or a window when they are put in a difficult position. The mirror-people look at themselves, their situation, and their circumstances. They don't see much else going on in the world unless it involves them.
Then there are the window-people. Those who may have the exact same circumastances as the mirror-people but they choose to look out and around them. They see other people in need, other people in horrific adversity and realize that they are not the only people going through hard times in this life.
He had some tough questions too:
1. am I self-centered and focused only on my own relief or do I pray for and bless others?
2. Do I listen only to those who tell me what I want to hear and look for an easy way out?
3. Do I seek God will all my heart and look to His promises to provide the peace that I need?

I have the tendency to be a mirror. Don't we all? My life can get so wrapped up in what I am interested in, what I care about, what activites I'm doing that I forget to look out the window and take a look through God's eyes. But when I do- wow. What a view!

Philippians Poo... oh I mean 2

Why is it that bodily functions and all thing bathroom related are all the rage for little kids to talk, whisper, name call and giggle about?
The other day Owen "tooted" while in his high chair - and proceeded to look at me and laugh about it!
Jaedon and Seth have discovered "potty" talk. (which we are working thru)
But tonight as we were quoting our memory verses at supper it was hard not to see the humor of the newly aquired language. This is Seth's version of Philippians 2 (he was whispering it)
*Ahem*
"If any of you have any *poo and you-tighted with poo, any comfert from his poo, any tendermess or poo then make my joy poo by being poo, having the same poo, being one in poo and in pirit."
You get the idea.
Jaedon was quoting away and Seth was "poohing" away.
Brad and I were howling.

Beachin' it

Ok I'll admit it- I'm not a HUGE beach fan.
*gasp*
Before you hail sand at me... let me say it's mainly because I don't like crowds. I know- weird.

Seriously though- Once you pack all the suits, lotions, sandtoys, swim toys, waters, towels, umbrella, sippy cups, sunglasses, diapers, wipes (do I need to go on?!) Then there's the trick of hauling all the "needed supplies" (and children of course) TO your space that is no doubt entirely too close to where ciagrette smoke, profanity, making out, and streaking (purposefully or not) will more than likely occur. And, as is typically the case, once the wagon has been pushed, hauled, and kicked thru the sand to get to your spot and your blanket is laid and just perhaps you can sit a moment to get the sunscreen out you hear "Mama...I need to go potty!"
grrehs@#*sde$id*.

Once we make the journey to the (don't even get me started) on the bathroom/changing rooms and trudge back again to our "space" - I was able to enjoy being there (despite what it sounds like from this post) merely from watching my children (and husband) enjoy themselves. Brad got to flight his stunt kite which I always like to see him do. Jaedon bounded right into the water (a chilly 64degrees!) and had a ball. Seth found the shovels and made them into (shocking) light sabers of which I had to continuously remind him that light sabers are not supposed to be able to THROW SAND! And Owen made it his personal mission to seek and sample all the discarded ciagarette butts. Precious.

While I was packing for our adventure, and in a moment of absurity, I decided to toss a book in our beach bag.
HAhaahahhhaaahhahahahahhaaaahhahaahahahaa.
Ha.
Needless to say- it stayed there.

I heard a saying once that said "Children save a mother from her own toxic self-absorbtion."
While I would not (probably ever) choose to go to the beach on my own accord I was really able to find joy in their pleasure.
What a gift.

Swingin' to heaven

While Jaedon and Seth were swinging the other day I overheard:
J: "Hey Seth keep swinging higher ok?"
S: K! Wez HIGH, Deean!"
J: "I know! Maybe if we go higher we'll meet Jesus!"

Websters R US

OK- I need to come up with a good, 5 year old understanding definition of Wisdom.