God's choice

Have you heard those Christmas songs that seem to depict Mary and Joseph as completely unprepared for parenthood, as if labor pain caught them by surprise.

I tend to think of Mary as an expecially prepared young woman. She KNEW she was pregnant. It wasn’t uncommon for girls her age to wed and have children. She was WILLING. She told the angel, let it be to me as you have said. She knew this child was from God. She was probably studying parenting before the angel left.

I have known a few very smart 14 year old girls. In today’s age, they would get books from the library, and google labor and delivery. They would also do what Mary did, seek out information and advice. She went to see her cousin Elizabeth, a woman who was further along in her pregnancy. Mary may have even been present at the labor and delivery of baby John, taking mental notes, and making a list of what she needed. And she continually praised God….She experienced the Holy Spirit…wow..

Now she may not have imagined a birth in a stable, but I am certain she imagined the birth. After all, God chose this remarkable young woman. The Bible also says that she treasured these things in her heart. I think she was a woman who thought about things. She was there at the savior’s birth and she was there at his death. I can’t even imagine such a thing. Let’s give her a little credit, shall we?

A plus B equals C?

Has anyone else noticed the a plus b equals c mentality that seems to be shaping parts of the church today? There seems to be this underlying principle that if you give, go, and do, God will bless you. There’s no untruth in that. It’s the definintion of the blessing that I struggle with.

God wants you to be healthy…okay…it sounds good, but what if I’m not? What if I’ve raised my kids “right” and they still make bad, life changing decisions? Can I thank God for that blessing?

I just think there’s too much of this—Follow God and it will be well with you.
On the surface it is true . .Does “well” mean my house is paid off, the van is paid off, and the college fund for the four kids is growing? Does “well” mean no one is sick? Or does “well” mean that if all my kids are missionaries in Africa, my husband’s gone and I’m alone at night in 40 years? Is that well?

Yes, God has blessed us, but rejoice if God calls you or your kid to be a garbage collector in India. Send them off willingly and know it is “well”.
We will struggle on this earth. You can’t appreciate the rainbow if not for the rain, right?

A Typical Afternoon, and You?

I deecided to go to the store after lunch. Tim needs gloves. He keeps outgrowing everything. I called Grandma to see if she needed anything. Papertowels. After lunch, everyone wants to go outside Perfect. We will be leaving for the store in a few minutes, everyone. Of course, it’s 23 degrees and snowing like a banshee..

Luke wants help with his socks. He can do this himself, a fact of which I remind him. Mark is already working on it. I am trying to find Sarah her mittens, which are the tote in the laundry room. She heads that way. Tim’s zipper split, but is a quick fix. Marc and Luc are freaking out because they each have one sock on and their brother is wearing the other sock. This is quickly fixed by getting out one more pair and dividing it between them. They look at me as if I have performed a magic trick.

Sarah is almost crying because she can’t open the tote. Remind her to ask nicely for help. Go to laundry room, open tote. See toy car on the floor, put in basket to go up stairs. Marc is going “beeps” and needs to be wiped. Done. Tell him not to run in socks. Wham. Hugs for hurt. Remember your walking feet. Wash hands, where’s the towel? On the floor. Put that back on rack. Find wet washcloth, marble, and doll under the towel. Hang up washcloth, put doll and marble in basket to go upstairs.

Try to convince Marc and Luc to put on their own boots. Much talk and sharing of boots. Start clearing cups and plates from lunch. Finally put boots on boys while praying for patience. Send Marc outside. Send Luc for his coat. Luc dumps tin of popcorn on floor. Sorry mom. Get out broom. Marc is back, he needs a hat. In the tote. Realize contents of tote are covering laundry room floor. Toss stuff in tote, including two marbles and a doll. Weren’t those in the basket?

Okay, all four are outside, with coats, hats, mittens and boots. (except for Tim, who needs bigger gloves.) Whew. Only 1:30…Didn’t we have lunch at noon? Grab my coat, boots, run to the bathroom. Realize I haven’t brushed teeth yer. Thirty second brush job. Out the door. Gather kids. Get to store. Store is stifling. Cart is so stuffed with coats, there’s no room for Grandma’s papertowels. Tim will carry them. Wow thank you Tim.

Where’s Luc? We lost Luc again. I check the next two aisles. I find him trying on boots. He tried on boots last time he was here. Wow, he has a great memory. Only one of his boots is visible. Sarah finds it one aisle over. I put boots on Luc and overhear Tim say, “Watch how far I can throw these papertowels up and catch them!”

Luc is not happy about being dragged back to the cart. Stay by your mom. I calmly explain to Tim about the inappropriate behavior of tossing papertowels. Take deep breath. Sarah is crying. Apparently Marc has hurt her feelings. Luc is also crying. Something about boots. Head for the checkout. Wait in line. Cashier smiles sympathetically, too sympathetically.

This is when I realized I am wearing my shrug in public. The shrug is that quilted flannel shirt from 1987 with the frayed edges, missing buttons, and rolled up sleeves. It’s not pretty, but its the warmest thing I own. I love to wear it around the house. However, it’s really NOT supposed to leave the house. Smile back. Mention that I brushed my teeth today. Cashier stops smiling.

Make way to door. Put everyone’s coats on. Lucas is crying because he is wearing Marc’s coat. Marc is crying for the opposite reason. Switch coats. Sarah is crying. Apparently Lucas has hurt her feelings. I resist the temptation to tell Sarah that more than her feelings are going to be hurt soon. A quick hug instead. She decides to stop crying. Where are Tim’s gloves? Oh, that’s what we came here for….maybe Ryan can get some later.

Back to the van. Buckle Marc and Luc. Time on the clock 2:45. Didn’t we have lunch at noon? Yikes. Drop papertowels at Grandma’s. No, we can’t stay today, Grandma. Arrive home by 4:00. Ever wonder where the day went?

The 21 Rules Of This House
by Gregg Harris

1. We obey God.
2. We love, honor and pray for one another.
3. We tell the truth.
4. We consider one another's interests ahead of our own.
5. We speak quietly and respectfully with one another.
6. We do not hurt one another with unkind words or deeds.
7. When someone needs correction, we correct him in love.
8. When someone is sorry, we forgive him.
9. When someone is sad, we comfort him.
10. When someone is happy, we rejoice with him.
11. When we have something nice to share, we share it.
12. When we have work to do, we do it without complaining.
13. We take good care of everything that God has given us.
14. We do not create unnecessary work for others.
15. When we open something, we close it.
16. When we take something out, we put it away.
17. When we turn something on, we turn it off.
18. When we make a mess, we clean it up.
19. When we do not know what to do, we ask.
20. When we go out, we act just as if we were in this house.
21. When we disobey or forget any of the 21 Rules of This House, we accept
the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Five things
Five movies I like (for various reasons)
1. The Mummy (I’m a …LIBRARIAN)
2. The Prestige (I Never guessed this ending)
3. Ghostbusters (Hey, where do these stairs go? They go up.)
4. Sixth Sense (I never guessed this ending)
5. Ransom (Love for a child revealed)
6. Matrix (Spiritual parallels abound)
7. Schindler’s list (may we never forget)
Oops! That was seven.

October Events
1. Ryan and I see the bridge and hang out in Mackinaw for our anniversary.
2. We travel to Wisconsin to see my cousins and Aunt. I get to go to a baby shower for Baby Girl Wheeler. 
3. We go trick or treating from Great Grandma Doris’ house. The bee and the bear only last one street. Raggedy Ann made it farther, but the Soccer Player and his Dad went the farthest. Weather was perfect.
4. Ryan turns 40 and hangs out with friends and family at a small surprise party.

On Adventure

Westphals love to go on adventure. Into the van, pick South and East and go, go, go. Sarah and I spy a yellow plane out the window against a blue fall sky. It was fun to see. A little later, we see a sign for a campground and decide to check it out. We find a playground with a beach and everyone piles out to check it out. There's an elaborate sand castle on the beach that had been there awhile. Then, on the water, we see our yellow plane again. We say hello and learn that there are wheels on the bottom of the floats for when they land on the ground. Take off is loud and windy but definately something you don't experience every day.

This was the view out our window Monday morning. I could hardly contain the little ones and eventually they ended up outside, with snow pants, boots, hats and mitts. I stayed in the kitchen helping with boots, zippers, etc. Then someone had to go potty, someone lost a mitten, someone needed a coat zipped up better, the one who went potty needed new pants, someone couldn't find a sock stuck in the boot, someone got hit with snow in the face, someone slipped on the steps, etc..Welcome to winter. It was nice to have them inside again.

Five things to love about Sundays

1. Worship with other believers (yes, I am not alone in my walk with Jesus0.

2. A Sunday School class that is a blessing. (we did the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, by Joann Weaver. I highly recommend this book if you want to discover balance between work and worship in your life.)

3. Children's Sunday School --where Godly people patiently pour God's word into my children.

4. Sunday afternoons at my Grandma's house.

5. Watching my husband interact with the children. There's something incredible about seeing the man you love LOVE the children you love.

On Adventure

Have you ever gone “On Adventure”? Our family loves to do this. We clamor aboard the Westphal van on an early Saturday morning and pick two compass directions, one is either E or W, and the other is either N or S, and then we drive. When we reach an intersection, we turn whatever way keeps us on our directions. It’s like getting lost on purpose, but we have seen some interesting things. We try to bring the camera so we have photographic evidence.

Here is one such adventure.
We found these cars racing around a big parking lot at Grand Valley State University. They are students, careening around these cones to achieve the fastest time. And you thought college students studied? Note that the cars have taped-on numbers, and thankfully, drivers have helmets, but I couldn’t help wonder if mom and dad knew what junior was up to with that car they gave him for trips home. Note that one of the wheels is actually OFF the ground.

Summer Slideshow

Make a Smilebox photobook

Who's your Wilson?

We were recently playing cards with friends and someone mentioned you can’t be a Christian in a vacuum. I chimed in, “Everybody needs a Wilson.”
Incredibly, three of us were thinking of different Wilsons! (Of course, the women were of one mind.)

Wilson one –from the movie Castaway. When Tom Hanks was alone on the island, he actually made a friend and almost drowned trying to save a volleyball with a handprint on it.

Wilson two-from the show Home Improvement. When Tim Taylor had a problem he couldn’t solve, he often went to the backyard to talk it over with his neighbor Wilson, whose face always remained hidden.

Wilson three-from the Fox series House. Dr. Gregory House, rude and self-centered, yet a genius at solving illnesses, has an oncologist friend named, you guesses it, Wilson. Wilson often inadvertently gives House the answer to his medical mysteries during conversations in his office.

So, my question remains: Who is your Wilson?
I’d like to say a special thank-you to my Wilson (you know who you are.)

My grandma broke her toe. But this story is not about Grandma. It’s about me, again. (Deep down, we are all such selfish creatures. Hopefully, we are battling to put others first, if we are striving to be true Christ followers).

My grandma broke her toe. So I stopped by to help her out. (The kids all watched T.V. They LOVE to visit Grandma Doris). Grandma took a shower. She didn’t want to do this when she was home alone. I started laundry and swept and mopped the floor. I continued to watch the sky as the afternoon wore on. I began to lament the time change, the darkness, and of course, my impending curfew. (Please note, my deteriorating vision makes night driving far too dangerous for me, my family, other motorists, and pedestrians).

I had to hurriedly pack up the kids and leave with stubborn, damp towels still in the dryer. Arghh…I gave Grandma strict instructions not to attempt the stairs in her condition. Then I prevailed upon the gem of a man I married to stop by after work and finish my grandmother’s laundry. He lovingly complied. (I love this man). But as I drove home in the gloom, I sighed at my doom. (Hey, did you catch that rhyme? Too much Dr. Seuss in my life at this time).

As I grew sad about my vision loss, I tried to cheer myself up by playing the comparison game. You know the game…it could be worse, I could already be blind…my kids could have cancer….my husband could be dead…etc..etc.. This never works as a source of encouragement. It’s just too self-centered. Today I was cheered up by a true source of encouragement, the WORD OF GOD (I say this in my best BIBLEMAN voice).

If you are familiar with pro-life literature, you’ve probably read this verse countless times, “For you formed my inward parts, you wove me in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13. Well, it wasn’t that one. It’s the two verses before it that provided me with peace this morning and reassurance about who is really in charge of our lives. I will close with these verses and pray that they encourage you in your “darkness.”

“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night.’ Even the darkness is not dark to YOU, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to you.” Psalm 139:11, 12.

Things kids say

Who do you think it is? Is it Marc or Luc? How did you know?

I Mom and Luc have a conversation.
“I love my daddy,” Luc says.
“oh, how much?” Mamma inquires.
“Too much.” Luc answers.
“Really?” Mama answers, trying to keep a straight face.
“Yes,” Luc replies seriously, and then he smiles, “But I love my Mama THREE much.” Mama laughs out loud at that one.

Marc had learned “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see…” and now is making up his own verses. Here’s the latest, “Oh, be careful little nose what you blow..”

Things Kids Say

Marc is pointing at his hip. “I hurt here. You pray. It’s my leg-shoulder.”

I jump in the van with the kids, “Hi good kids!” Tim, “Hi, bad mom!” “Hey?”
“Well, somebody’s got to be the bad guy.”

Marc talks to man in Meijers. Man asks, “Well, how old are you?” Marc “I five. I a BIG kid.” (He’s only three.)

I lost Luc at the zoo. He likes to join other family groups. No concept of stranger anxiety. He is not one of those kids who has to know where mom is. By the time I discovered he was missing, (from the enclosed frog room), he was completely gone. As I walked past a zoo employee, I heard her walkie-talkie stating lost child. I stopped her and said, “That’s mine.” She radioed back, and Luc showed up, grinning from ear-to-ear and holding a zoo employee’s hand. “Hi, mom.” Later we saw the same guy. Luc’s enthusiastic response, “Hello helper man!!”

Marc is now a thesaurus. His breakfast cereal does not get soggy. “My O’s are wilty” “What do you mean, “wilty”? “I mean, my o’s, they MELTED. Oh no, they’re melty and wilty..can I have more o’s please?”

Happy Anniversary

October 2, 2008 marked 15 years of marriage for this couple and we’re up for the next 15. Seriously, God led me to marry a gem of a husband, with a sincere, generous heart, positive outlook, and a steady faith in God. (I could gush for hours here so I better stop).
Ryan almost surprised me with a getaway for our anniversary. I say almost because I discovered the surprise through our email. Ah, the conveniences of modern banking. “A new payee has been added”. It was a bed and breakfast in Harbor Springs.

Before I completely freaked out that someone had “hacked” into our account, I reflected that we had honeymooned in Harbor Springs…so I confronted the man “Did you make reservations at a bed and breakfast?” The look on his face was all I needed. So I suppose I ruined my own surprise, but I can’t keep a secret. His second response was, “Oh, good, you can help me pack everything for the kids!”

My wonderful, and incredibly brave parents took all FOUR kids overnight. (If you’d like to send them a fruitbasket, fudge, or flowers, I can provide their address.) and we had a fabulous time. My mom even let us take her new birthday toy along, a GARMIN. (Talking navigational device). Ryan absolutely loved this thing and it came in handy navigating back to the bed and breakfast after a dinner in another town.

Our room at the bed and breakfast was decorated with the exact same pattern of bedding we received as a wedding gift. (Our comforter is now on the twins’ bed and not in perfect condition). They also had matching wallpaper, pillows, bedskirt, curtains, wallpaper and even a bench. I was astounded when we walked in the room. It was like walking back in time. Of course, the husband could not have planned such a meaningful, detailed touch. This had to be God winking at me. All in all, it was wonderful to spend time together (alone) and reflect on our life together thus far.

Five things that taste good

Root beer floats after a hot afternoon
Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting
Cool cherries from the cooler when you are at the beach
Desert my husband brought home for me
Hot food

Good (attitude) morning

Good morning, again. No really. I have been systematically woken up since 12:30 pm last night. You may think this makes for a grumpy mama. This makes for a mama struggling against grumpiness. Did you catch that? I am making a conscious choice to fight against the grumpiness that accompanies my yawns, my tired eyes, my achy limbs. I feel like a parent of a newborn.

How did I come to this revelation? The twins have been sick for three nights. They wake up every couple hours, having to “go potty”, “need water”, “sing to me” “I tired” “I lost my Lukey!!” “I need medsin!” This is usually accompanied by crying of some sort. Now you take that couple hours and divide it by two boys, it’s more like once an hour. Then throw in a crying little girl with wet sheets at 3:00 in the morning and a leaky sippy cup in the twins’ bed at 4:30 requiring removing and replacing bedding. Then Ryan has this new window fan. It is supposed to maintain temperature so you don’t freeze. It shuts off and turns on automatically. Sounds great. Not so great. Imagine a fan going on/off on/off on/off for a minute every hour or so. Between clothing changes, bedding arrangements, songs, trips to the bathroom, and the intermittent noise of the fan, I found myself almost in tears by 5:00am.

Hence, the revelation. Have you noticed that if you love Christ and read the Bible, those verses come back to you? So, it’s 5:OMGIE in the morning and I am sitting on the boys floor, singing a barely recognizable version of “Jesuslovelittlchillen” when this verse pops into my mind.

“Whatever you do, work at it with your whole heart, as though working for God and not man.” Colossians 3:23. WHAT! Now? I use that verse to inspire students to put forth their best effort, but NOW? I’m so weary, so tired, so half-hearted toward these children…Then it hit me (again). I don’t have to do this alone. I have Christ. I have fruit of the Spirit. I do have patience, and kindness, and gentleness, even at 5 OMGIE (OMYGOODNESSITSEARLY) time. My whole God-renewed heart needs to be working hard at WHATEVER I do, including this 24 hour mom thing. So for all you moms out there, keep working with your whole hearts!

And have a GOOD Morning. (I recommend coffee+scripture)

Things Kids Say

“I wish we had gas for blood,” Tim announced today. “Why’s that Tim?” “Then the mosquitoes wouldn’t want our blood.”

“This is only writing that I can read. Would you like to hear it?” Sarah.

“Soccer sucks up all my energy, just like a black hole sucks up everything.” Tim

“I like donuts with sprinklers.” –Mark

“It’s bedtime,” says Mama.
“I don’t want to go to bed,” answers Luke, crossing his arms.
“You need to improve your attitude, young man.” Mama frowns.
Luke smiles a huge smiles, spreads his arms and announces, “I love to go to bed!”

Camping

The Westphal family arrived tired but happy at our campsite (a minimal amount of fidgeting in the car, and a few potty stops) in Orchard Beach State Park, on Lake Michigan, near Manistee. (Check it out, if you like. Back arrow to return to blog. http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=480&type=SPRK ). My parents were already there, setting up. The best part was watching my husband’s stress level decrease as he settled in to life as a camper. We unpacked, set up camp, made a campfire, watched the sun set into the lake (Yes, “into”, we even listened for the sizzle.), watched the stars come out, and just plain relaxed. A few moments to share:

1. Very cold nights. I woke up hearing a child cry. The sound was OUTSIDE the tent, a little ways away. “Ryan, Lucas is OUTSIDE the tent!”. I grab the flashlight and shine it where Lucas is supposed to be. Just an empty pillow. Ryan is now putting on jeans. “Oh, I found him.” He is off the mattress, on the floor, under a sleeping bag and some dirty clothes. He is sound asleep. However his parents are not.

2. Ryan and Tim toured a ship in the harbor that used to ferry rail cars. This Daddy-son time was fun for both.

3. We went letterboxing and successfully found TWO letterboxes in the Manistee area (Check it out sometime. Use back arrow to return to blog http://www.atlasquest.com/). We took my parents on our second trip, and stopped for ice cream on the way back. Discovered an old friend running the ice cream shop, and I went out to breakfast with just her the next morning! No kids.

4. Kids biked like maniacs. (Do maniacs bike? Where does this expression, “like a maniac” come from? Why do I keep using it?). They loved it and we increased their boundaries as time went by. Tim and Sarah both have training wheels so you could hear them coming as they zoomed by. They both made friends with other campers, and we enjoyed playing at the playground.

5. Ryan and I spontaneously joined our neighbors one evening before sunset when we saw that they were playing Bocce. That was fun, even if the guys won.

6. We had a beach day with my parents and I at the big lake. They all loved it. The water started out very calm but within two hours, a breeze was blowing in and we headed back for the campsite. We still had great fun. Ryan hates the beach so he skipped out and went to a coffeeshop with his computer. Very happy man.

7. During my breakfast with my friend (and no kids), a couple came to our table. It was my inlaws! What a surprise! They were traveling through the area and happened to stop for breakfast in the same restaurant. They called Ryan to verify it was me before they said Hi! They stopped by the campsite to say Hi to all before continuing on their way.

8. Told stories by the campfire and sang silly songs. We ate smores and popcorn popped over the fire! Plus licorice, peanuts, Pringles, and cookies.

9. Marc and Luc cried when we told them we were headed home.

10. A good time had by all, and we are planning on going again next year.

Five things I love about camping

1. Telling stories in the round by the campfire.
2. Biking to use the "porcelain potties".
3. Hearing the waves of Lake Michigan at night.
4. No TV, no radio, no washing machine, no telephone....
5. Spending time as a family.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabinche/424078457/

Three–the age of independence….Are you familiar with John Ball Park Zoo in Grand Rapids? It’s a wonderful zoo with a wonderful aquarium building. They have a window with a sign that says “octopus”, but usually, you never see him. My son recently discovered how to get the octopus to come out. When the zoo is really busy, there’s a line for the restroom in the hallway of the aquarium. There is also a fire alarm in the hallway of the aquarium. You see where this is going…If your son pulls the fire alarm and your daughter (and many other children) begin crying because it is so loud and scary, and the building clears out and you finally exit the restroom with your children, you will actually see the eye of the octopus and all eight arms moving around right next to the glass as if to say, “What is going on out there?”

Five wonderful smells
1. Baby shampoo
2. Freshly made no-bake cookies cooling on wax paper
3. The perfume that came on the honeymoon
4. Candles
5. Fresh summer morning

Thank you, Lord, for the sense of smell. This blog finds me at home once again. My wonderful husband (with outside assistance from a good friend, thank-you!) has provided me with a working computer. (No more blogging at the library). The whole gang is in bed, and I have finished much laundry and many dishes this evening. No idle hands tonight. God Bless you all and good night.

Greetings friends, neighbors, and anonymous blogsurfers (you know who you are.)
If you are unable to reach me via my regular email, I apologize. We are still without a home computer. Yes, I am still blogging at the library. Even now, strange sounds are emanating from the children's corner where a rather unique flying puppet show is being performed by two small unruly twins. (I wonder where their mother is. probably blogging at the computers...)
So, without further ado, five things.
Five children's books I adore. (I am at the library, after all.)
1. Diary of a wombat.
2. The library lion by Michelle knudson
3. A rooster named BOB! by Tracey Pearson
4. Mary had a little lamb -HOberman
5. 10 Fat Frogs --read this one really fast, in a dimly lit child's room while you are have asleep...very funny...

Those are my preschool/picture book favorites. My older kids list is much longer but I must go. The kids are holding two kids and a librarian hostage.

Five things

Five Things to be grateful for:
1. Summertime
2. Thunderstorms
3. Gardens
4. Patience
5. Children's books

The virtue of Patience

I have just realized something I should have known a long time ago.
Patience is a gift. I mean, truly, a gift from God. It's an actual FRUIT of the Spirit. Because, and only because Christ lives in me, I have the fruit of patience growing in my life. (I have recently prayed for some miracle-gro to accomplish this process faster but I have been reassured that God's timing is indeed perfect.)
We are still without our computer, so I ask for your patience. :-) For more on this topic, check out the Word of God, especially Galations 5.