Fishy Tales from within

Ron Jon is officially - ALIVE! He has surived the overfeeding catastrophe. In fact a new baby fish suddenly appeared the next day but has yet to surface again. I think it has been gobbled up by the adults. I waited to feed the fish for a day due to over blown bellies. I guess the overfeeding brought about the labor pains in the lady fish. All is well in the aquarium.

Stuart still has a great fascination with much adult monitoring to boot. Dave and both agree that he really changed this past week. We will need to stay alert. He is hitting a severe curiosity stage. Which is great with adult eyes watching.

Soccer is starting up in great strides. Carter and Cole respected Kirk teams were put in the "A" bracket. Which makes for lots of excitement as the catholic teams are quite excellent. Cole's coach seems to think that his team was put in the wrong bracket. It was the other Kirk team that earned the "A" bracket last year. There was only one big team last year. Cole's team is a whole new team consisting of homeschoolers and Covenant kids. I do hope they can bump them down a bracket. I think Cole would enjoy a few more wins then losses. This team is the first time we have played with them. The last few years we have played for Twin Oaks.

With soccer starting it is reminding me of last fall. A year can fly by so quickly. So grateful for my current health. God is merciful.

2nd day of school & Dennis the Menace

First day of school 2007

Carter 3rd & Cole 2nd grade

Yesterday was the first day of school and everything went very well. Cole's "high" from the classroom was recess and his teacher giving out chocolate from Germany. Carter's was high on everything. Not drugs, though. I had to make that one clear for the previous sentence could be taken really out of context! He kept saying that his teacher, Mrs. Lee is "sweet, really sweet". He continued on to say "she is a good teacher for me". Both comments from each boy brought much delight to my heart.

On to today . . . Dennis the menance resides in the home as of this morning. Today was chapel for all parents and grandparents to attend at 8:30 this morning. Everything was flowing pretty fine until Stuart started to eat his pancakes. I was cooking more pancakes with my back turned to the table. The boys just used their pure maple syrup and it was still on the table. In no time at all Stuart aka: Dennis the menace poured the rest of the bottle onto his two pancakes thoroughly soaking them. He then said "I poured the syrup, Mommy." I whipped my head around to confirm he did just that. So thankful the bottle was only half full. Syrup was all over his hands, arms and legs. After transfering the dripping pancakes to a clean plate he gladly ate up the sugared ones. Yuck to me but a delight to him as he usually doesn't get syrup on his pancakes.

Keep in mind it was 7:49 am and I needed to leave the house by 8:15 for chapel. Time for a speedy bath. Stuart was cleaned off in seconds flat with no time to spare and changed into his clothes for the day. He decided he wanted to stay in the bathroom to watch the fish. I approved. Later to find out that was a mistake. I ran to blow dry my hair. I started to wonder why Stuart wasn't at my legs. He is going through a big "Be around mommy at all times stage". I turned off the blow dryer and called for him asking him where he was. I hear a voice. "I feeding the fish, Mommy." I bolt to the bathroom to find the tank FULL of floating fish food. Aghhhhhhh! He had climbed up to reach the food with the stool. I did my best to scoop out the floating food. Prayed that the fish wouldn't die till I returned home to clean out the tank. Out the door I was at 8:16 am. with makeup on. Whew!

Upon returning home the two older fish Ron Jon and his wife (not sure of the name) were swimming low in the tank. Not usual for them. Stuart willingly "helped" me clean out the tank. At the end while in the tub, he joyfully ran the water with all his clothes on. I had already filled the tank and at this point didn't care. I can changed his clothes. He was having a grand ole time.

At this moment "Dennis" is charging up his batteries. I have never seen him be more curious. Ron Jon is not coping well in the newly cleaned tank. Life on the second day of school has been eventful. Hopefully it won't end with a fish loss.

Me and my buddies want to go to school, too!

Update on Joe's dizziness

An email update on Joe from Kay.

"He did not get to have his radiation on Friday, the machine was not functioning properly. I will take him back to Hope Lodge tomorrow (Sunday) and he will have his treatment on Monday and Wednesday - if the machine is working again. No more dizziness since he has been home. I think a lot of it was anxiety."

Many thanks to all of you for not just praying for me and my family but also for Joe. Cancer is so far reaching. It affects not just some but many. It is so hard emotionally and physically. I am so glad I have Jesus.

Lake of the O Memories

Carter's catch
Goofin' around in the not so hot tub

Cole and Stuart
The marshmellow robber!

Hello All,

We have been gone since Tuesday for one last family memory making trip. A previous coworker of Dave's has a wonderful lake home at the Lake of the Ozarks. She insisted we try to go to her home for some getaway time. We had such a great time of eating smores, jet skiing, swimming in the not so hot tub, fishing and tubing. Cole was excited about seeing the cool insects. There was even a snake in the water. Yuck for me but pretty neato for the older boys. I prefer not to see the snakes. That is one creature I don't particulary care about.

The plan was to go to the lake house from Tuesday till Friday. We were having such a good time that we ended up staying till today. Good friends of ours came down to join us on Wednesday. The older boys of the group enjoyed an afternoon of ten cent skee ball, go carting and putt putt golf while the toddlers and mommys took a nap. At night the grown ups stayed up late chatting. Last night we watched a movie together. It was fun as it felt like we were teenagers staying up late with laughter and in depth conversations. God stories were exhanged. I am so glad that we had another family with us.

The movie last night was a love story. A great chick flick. It was a tear jerker. I was crying because of the tenderness of the movie then turned to another thought. I was saddened by the fact that I want to grow old with Dave. I love him so. He really is my lover and friend. My prince. I truly mean it. I know there is no guarantee that I will die soon. The opposite is also true. There is no guarantee that I won't. My desire is for my family to have me for a long time. It was a difficult night. I haven't cried like that in a long time. I am a tender reed - a broken vessel.

Once home today I had multiple emails. One was from Kay, Joe's neice. She stated that he had some dizziness on Thursday and one of his sons was taking him to the ER. I will hopefully have an update by tomorrow. Please pray for him as he will be completing his three intense sessions of radiation soon. He is staying in St. Louis at Hope Lodge again.

School is starting this Tuesday for Carter and Cole. Stuart and I will be doing two separate Bible studies this fall. One will be the book study of "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn. I only got to page 55 in my summer reading of the book. I really need some accountability. The other study will be Community Bible Study (CBS) on the Divided Kingdom and the Minor Prophets: I & II Kings, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah.

Many thanks to the Loewe family for being such a blessing and allowing us to make family memories at your lake home. Wade and Ramona you know how to have fun. Thanks for joining our family this week. We appreciated the long talks and laughter. Watch out for those scorpions!

Our early morning fisherman, Cole

To rely on God daily

"As you say, the thing is to rely only on God. The time will come when you will regard all this misery as a small price to pay for having been brought to that dependence. Meanwhile . . . The trouble is that relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done."

C. S. Lewis, Letters of C.S. Lewis

A neighbor sent this quote over at the beginning of this trial when we found out that brain surgery was eminent. When asking what we were needing my reply was "tissues". She posted scripture and quotes like the one above on the tissue boxes . I wanted to share it with you today. The latter half of the quote is what strikes me the most.

I guess the positive part of it all is that at least one tissue box is still in use. Whew! Don't want to repeat that time over again any time soon.

Have a great rest of the week! I know we will.

Keeping out of business

A greedy man stirs up dissension,

but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

He who trusts in himself is a fool,

but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

Proverbs 28: 25-26

Ouch! I have been struggling with pride. This is not a new thing. Since school is starting back up it is easy for me to "stir the pot" so to say in matters that are none of my business. I have made a vow to try and not engage in conversations that are going to lead me to sin. That is just what it is - SIN. I desire to make a new start this fall by encouraging not discouraging, being fully gracious in matters and kind. Please pray that I can do just that. Pray for my heart and eyes to be open. To be able to walk away graciously from a conversation that is not edifying.

Tuesday, September 11 - MRI at 1:15 pm
Thursday, September 13 - 10 am - Dr. Needles consult with results

I want to end with an encouraging verse on worry.

"He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Jeremiah 17:8

Joe & the Country Club

Last night I had wanted to post a blog on Joe and his birthday. Unfortunately I was lacking a nap two days in a row and was exhausted as the evening hours approached. I went to bed by 8:45 last night.

Joe called yesterday to say thanks for the cards. I had sent him a goofy card with a dog on the front. The card read something like this; Happy Birthday to one big POOP! You then open the card and it states; Person Of Outstanding Pedigree! I about fell on the floor with laughter when I opened the card. Carter approved of this one as well for he was shopping with me. I was unsure about sending it but I figure Joe has seen enough in his days and I sure he would chuckle. He did come to find out.

His birthday was a weekend long event. Some of his many children came down to see him on Saturday while his daughter and grandson spent time with him on Sunday. Kay his neice treated him to a steak dinner on his actual birthday. I say he had it made.

So glad he enjoyed the cards. From the looks of my email he should total around 10 cards. Thanks to the many of you that participated. He even read to me some of your comments. Touching!

As for me I am having some little pain in the head and eye. Not enough for tylenol just yet. I am hoping it is due to not enough rest. My next MRI is Tuesday, September 11. Yes, not a great day for our country. I think it's a good day for people to remember to pray not just for the many people who lost loved ones on that terrible day but also for my MRI to be clear. I will have the results Thursday the 13th. Please pray I don't have a major breakdown prior to seeing Dr. Needles. I have been emotionally ok the past few months. The only sad time I have had lately happened on Monday. I was thinking about my funeral due to a radio show remembering a fun friend that was in this persons life. The radio announcer stated "Everyone should have a ____________ in their life." I couldn't help but ponder my own funeral. Sad but true. I called Dave as he was out of town and my mom. So glad to have them. God is good to me.
Thanks for your continued prayers not just for me but the whole family. We are really enjoying the last days of freedom prior to school starting on Tuesday, August 28. Carter and Cole have made our backyard into a driving range / golf course. I found them the other day with a trowel digging a hole for their golf balls. Not to alarm the neighbors - we use practice balls that look like swiss cheese. Thankfully they don't smell like it. My yard for that matter might look like swiss cheese. Not! Dave stopped the digging. I guess you could say they made up their own Snodgrass Country Club.

I have also found literally 15 paper airplanes throughout the home while cleaning up today. Each boy has a Klutz brand book that tells how to make some awesome planes. It even comes with designed paper. I burnt dinner last night due to being engrossed in making the "headhunter" plane for Cole. You see I just can't multi-task anymore.

A good work has begun

. . . being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you

will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6

A Birthday Blessing

If you would like to be a blessing in a tangible way. . .

My friend, Joe is having his birthday on August 14. I would love to bless his socks off. Would you consider sending him a birthday card? If so, click on my blog profile and email me that you are interested and I will shoot you an email in return with his address. I hope to mail my card tomorrow (Friday).

The Indiana visit

I think I can knock it down
Aiming carefully for the target
Enjoying God's creation

The Snodgrass men

Cole showin' his moves off the high dive!

Indiana girl cousins are great!
Wild man Carter off the high dive!

All smiles on the bed - Love the toes Stu!

You can tell who the extroverts are in the family

From slip n slide, driving the farm gator, feeding the horses, holding Charlie cat, lack of sleep due to excitement, diving off the high dive and eating . . . we had a good long weekend of visiting Dave's family in northern Indiana. The boys enjoyed time with their cousins, Lexi and Jaelyn. I am sure we wore out Grammy and Pop Pop Snodgrass. Life is much different with three young boys hanging around. Stuart especially enjoyed the horses. He would take any chance he could get to run to the barn and feed Aramis and Joey the "geen" hay (aka: green hay). The horses didn't mind one bit. (No pun intended.) While in their stalls they would careen their necks to see which one Stuart would choose to feed. Shhhh, don't tell Grammy.

While visiting Dave's mom on Saturday we swam at the public pool. Everyone loved jumping off the diving board. Yes, even Stuart did some jumps with his lifejacket on. Only the older two jumped off the high dive. Mema had us over for dinner that night. Thank you Mema. It was good to see you. The kids enjoyed wiffle ball in the backyard against the adults. Go figure - the adults lost.

The only dilemma for the weekend was Stuart's left eye. His eyeball itself is fine but the outer part has been rubbed raw. It didn't help to have him touching Charlie cat along with everything else a toddler touches while being in the country. Dave and I were constantly washing his hands. I called on Saturday to make an appointment for Monday at 9 am. Dr. McKinney surmised that it's most likely is an allergy of some kind. Stuart started having symptoms prior to leaving on Thursday morning and it escalated while being away. Benadryl, eye drops and hydrocortisone made some difference though. So off to see the pediatrician early in the morning . . .

Hoped you enjoyed the Indiana visit pics!

Eye fatigue & dreams

I have been up since 4:30 this morning tossing and turning. I went to bed at 9 pm last night due to eye fatigue. I hadn't had a nap yesterday for I was trying to keep up with the house duties. When doing so I crash by 9 pm. The boys and I had a great time at the pool yesterday eating pizza and conversing with friends. I am going to miss the freedom of summer. It is coming to an end all too soon.

As for the pool yesterday, without a life jacket Stuart jumped in the pool. I clearly did not give him permission. He was holding onto a kickboard but all the same my heart leaped. He was able to get his head up to the water level. I immediately jumped in and reprimanded him. Ohhh! He is a good swimmer but disobedience at the pool is not tolerated. I think I instilled some fear into this non fear water baby. I do hope. After that episode and some time out of the pool I decided to do some practice runs of him jumping into the water to me. He did great! He was able to pull himself up to take a breath. From a close distance he was able to swim to the ladder. For the first time his pool eyes were opened to the wonderful world of goggles as well. He thought it was fun to see things under the water so clearly.

I am also up early this morning due to Cole having a bad dream. He came in crying at 5:15. I was able to pray with him and ask him what the dream was about. All I got out of it was that him and his friend, Luke along with Dad were near water and something about a stingray. After asking if someone was hurt in his dream he ended up crying more saying that Stuart died. My heart ached to hear him cry about his brother's death in his dream. I reminded him that it was only a dream and that Stuart is sleeping soundly in his room. Of course, after that jolting time with Cole I wasn't able to go back to sleep. It was time to read my Bible. I was reminded that dreams seem so real. It brought back the time that I studied Daniel. To this day I vividly remember a terrible dream I had about Carter many years back. I also was reminded early this morning the tenderness of Cole and how I desire so much for me not to leave this earthly home till the boys are older. Seeing them cry about death is no fun for me. I am crying while posting this. No parent wants to see their child hurting.

Please pray for Cole today. Also pray for my right eye. It seems I am having more fatigue and weird sensations on the right back side. Not sure if it is my nerves growing back like Dave proposes. I do hope that is the case. I will make more of an effort to rest during the day. Also pray for little Stu to listen and obey with his heart.

The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid : . . . Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear, though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

Psalm 27: 1,3

Off to make zucchini muffins for breakfast.