Happy 40th Birthday Keith

March 26, 2011--Celebrating with some of his favorite people
2009...and how much older they make us!
2006
2003...ah how young we looked...before kids....
Keith in 1971

I jinxed it.

The fever returned this afternoon. Ugh.

She has been up since before 5

and seems a little more like her old self. Maybe this crap will be gone...for good this time? Not sure who is going to be ready for nap time first me or her though.

i heart cvs

Well, Keith made fun of me for taking pictures. Now he is questioning why I am not taking pictures. I guess he likes it after all! It is true, I went back to CVS last week. And it is true, I went again this week. How could I not? I can't remember what I got last week...but I do recall a trip to price chopper for more laundry detergent and toothpaste. I walked out of there with four Purex and two Colgate for 4 bucks. This week I got 3 12pk soda, peanuts, Allegra, two Crest and ten Clorox wipes (yes, I love them) for $16 (after ECB). Now that I type it I kind of wish I had a photo...I think my crush on CVS is turning into an affair. I also think I need to add toothpaste to my issues that I have with cereal and laundry detergent....

March 7th.

March 7th was the last day no one puked in this house. Please let March 23rd be a day like that. So ready to be done with this. Harper's fever returned again last night. Another long night....

Worth reading.

Adam Hamilton

Author, 'Why?: Making Sense of God’s Will'

Posted: March 21, 2011 08:00 PM

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Japan's Earthquake and the Will of God

It is natural, when faced with great suffering, to ask the question, "Why?" As we do, even those who are only nominally religious wonder if the tragedy is not an act of God, a punishment for our sins.

On Monday, Tokyo's governor, Shintaro Ishihara, was quoted as saying, "I think (the disaster in Japan) is tembatsu." Tembatsu is a Japanese term that means "divine punishment." His remarks are reminiscent of the 2005 comments of the then New Orleans' mayor Ray Nagin, following Hurricane Katrina's destruction of his city. At the time he noted, "Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane." Both governor Ishihara's and Mayor Nagin's saw the disaster as punishment for human sin.

We often suggest the same when we're dealing with our own individual suffering. A woman in the church I serve miscarried. Her friends told her it must have been "the will of God." A man who lost his job two years ago asks me why God is so angry with him that he's kept the man unemployed for two years. A young woman asks me, "Why did God kill my sister?"

Does God send earthquakes and hurricanes that indiscriminately kill thousands upon thousands of people? Does God take babies from the wombs of their mothers, depress the American economy and keep people from getting jobs? And does God kill the people we love? This picture of God has led many people to reject God all together.

As a pastor, I've spent 25 years working through the problem of suffering with my congregation. While it is natural, in the midst of intense grief and loss, to blame both God and ourselves for terrible tragedies (God is punishing me for something I've done/God is punishing our nation for something we've done), these answers miss the mark.

From a Christian theological perspective there are two challenges to this view: The first is that the Bible consistently teaches that God is loving, merciful and just. There is nothing loving, merciful and just about thousands of people being buried alive in mudslides or rubble or washed out to sea by a tsunami. There is nothing loving, merciful and just about a child being born with cancer, or a young person being raped and murdered. These acts of violence and widespread destruction are inconsistent with the character of God. Further, when considering whether these acts may be punishment for human sin, the central focus of the Christian gospel, which the present season of Lent is pointing us towards, is that Jesus Christ bore the punishment for human sin on the cross, there offering a prayer that would echo throughout history, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

The answer to the question why is not to be found in a vengeful God who wreaks havoc on the human race. It is to be found in understanding that we live in a world of cause and effect. Our actions can have negative consequences for us or others. Others actions can have negative consequences for us. We also know that our bodies are not indestructible, and that there are genetic and external factors that affect our health. These can be exacerbated by our lifestyle and actions. And we know that there are forces of nature at work in our planet -- atmospheric, environmental and geological -- that are destructive. These very forces, which can be so destructive when human beings are in their path, are also essential to our planet being able to sustain life. Our actions as human beings can exacerbate these forces, but the forces themselves are a part of our planet's essential operating system.

Why did the earthquake and tsunami occur in Japan? Was it the act of an angry God? No, it was the result of the movement and collision of the earth's tectonic plates -- a process driven by the earth's need to regulate its own internal temperature. Without the process that creates earthquake, our planet could not sustain life.

So if God is not sending earthquakes, destroying economies and inflicting pain upon human beings, what is God doing? God works through people, calling them to help their neighbors in need. God comforts his people, walking with them even "through the valley of the shadow of death." And, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. noted, God bends or forces suffering, tragedy and evil that occur to bring about good. God redeems the suffering. Those who are believers in God find strength from their faith in the face of suffering. They are compelled to give sacrificially to help those in need. And they have the hope that comes from knowing that, with God by their side, the tragedy they are facing is never the final word.

Sick...Harper this time.

Well Friday was Harper's turn to start getting sick. She had a decent temp and lots of puke until late yesterday afternoon when the fever broke. Still not interested in eating but no more getting sick since then. Fingers crossed this is done. Was a horrible weekend with her feeling so bad, the boys being stuck with me since Keith worked. Tomorrow I am praying they are all well and they all go to school.

St. Patrick's Day on the Farm...and at the park...

Harper was good at dragging the hoop around. Rolling it not so much.
She tries to talk to him. Then she bahhs...
Bahh.
Goat talk.
Harper appears to be reading this sign very intently.

Davis was really good at this game.
The stagecoach. Carson told everyone he rides this "all the time".
Could he be any cuter?
Aha, I can beat the hoop with a stick. This is more fun now.

I hope this is the only pole she likes to dance with.

Yes, his fly is open...but does he care, not so much.

Puppets & a Park

There is Davis and Carson running away from me. I got pretty much no photos of them. They are getting too fast for me.
And I needed to keep focus on the little dare devil.




Russ and Carson



We went to a Paul Messner Puppet Show, I wasn't sure if Davis would like it or not but both the boys did, especially Davis. I was worried he was too old or it would not be "cool" enough, but it was funny and he liked it. Phew. Then we went to Loose Park and had a picnic. The weather was perfect and the kids were really good too. Most importantly no one got sick! It was a good Wednesday!

She picks up sticks.

Again with the sour puss. She was smiley all day except when I got the camera out. Her brothers were playing golf while she napped, but I guess she decided it was her turn...although, I could not get her to put the balls down to hit them instead she carried them around and looked at the stick like what do I do with this?

Powerplay

Harper took this playing very seriously. She drives a mean Ferrari.
Glad she didn't spend much time on the Circus Train. I just finished reading Water for Elephants...my baby does not belong on a Circus Train that is for sure!

Then she joined the Army as a helicopter pilot.

Last she spent some time in a little submarine with her brother.

The other kids were off doing big kid stuff--go carts, bumper cars and more. We mainly hung out in the kid area. She really did have fun, she had the most fun at the end when her brothers came and went down the big slides with her. This girl has no fear and can climb anything.

It was so nice to leave Powerplay. I am certain it is the loudest place on earth. I felt like I left a rock concert when we stepped outside.

Carson is better...fingers crossed!

5PM last night marked 24 hours puke free for Carson so we went to a movie. He was not "himself" until this morning. It was nice to see him jump out of bed ready to play. Keith and Davis went to the dentist and then we are going to get new tires on Keith's car and go to power play while that is happening. Yes, we know how to have a good time on spring break. The boys don't know we are going yet so they will be excited. Tomorrow we might go to a puppet show and the park since we have a heat wave following the snow we had yesterday.

Ringo-Harper's 1st Movie

All I got was this sad photo. Too dark and dead battery, but she did pretty good. Sat through half of it and then we ran around while the boys watched it.

The movie overall--one word, LONG. And, not exactly what one would pick for their baby girl to see for her first movie outing but I guess when you have two big brothers you get stuck with scary desert critters instead of princesses.

Her favorite thing--the popcorn. Her least favorite thing--sitting still.

Are you lookin' for some hot stuff?

Spring Break Shopping

Since we didn't go out of town for Spring Break I went shopping. Keith is making fun of me for taking pictures, but at this point I am calling this an experiment. I won't photo everything I buy for long. I have decided that 1) I sure buy some crap we don't need (i.e. junk food) and maybe I will stop doing it and 2) to keep me honest about how much I am really spending on stuff.

Maybe the pictures will help me plan better.

So all of this was from Walgreens, CVS and Price Chopper. I may "have" to go back to CVS. I left some free stuff there I walked away from and it is bugging me. Overall I think this was a good trip. I did five transactions at CVS to roll my ECBs and not have to pay much OOP (out of pocket).

Walgreens--two laundry detergents-$4

CVS--two boxes of diapers, bandaids, neosporin, 2 puffs, big papertowl and tp pkg, lots of easter candy-good thing the kids don't read this and will be surprised when the bunny brings it, free gum, two toothpaste-free, and two deoderant--nearly free $35

Price Chopper--everything else. Not pictured are more smoothies and frozen ice cream treats for the kids (3 boxes, blue bunny) Got four boxes of cereal, and a whole lot of yogurt. And some free eggs! Great sale on chicken so almost 23lbs of meat. Total -$131.

I realize people keep their grocery bill down to $200 or $300 a month, but I am just not that good at this yet...or rather I have not learned what to "give up" yet to get it there. Right now this is a fun game to see if we can do it...in time...we shall see, but for now I will keep obsessing about "free" stuff and stock piling cereal and laundry detergent.

Does that say "spring break" to you?

First lots of vomiting from Carson and now snow. Good times. Best. Spring. Break. Ever.

Carson is sick...again....

Last night after we left a birthday party Carson threw up in the car. Again. Second time this week. Tonight we went to another birthday party (Adult this time) and returned home to a very sad and in pain Carson. Guess our spring break plans change again and we will be staying home....so much for making plans around here.

Daddy's Elmo

Harper loves Elmo. In a mad crazy way I have never seen a not yet two year old love something. The other day Keith had on a Jayhawk shirt (OK, really he wears one everyday...) but she pointed at the Jayhawk and said "Daddy's Elmo?" How sweet is that?!

Wacky Wednesday

Davis got to pick his outfit today for "wacky Wednesday" at school. Inside out sweats, backwards shirt and two mismatched shoes was his choice. It was hard to not help him be more wacky, but I guess if he dances like this at school it will be plenty wacky enough after all!