Weather

I find it necessary to compare weather in Minnesota and Florida. I guess it's because of the extreme differences. Let's start with the obvious.

SNOW - Minnesota has it, and Florida doesn't. Actually, snow has fallen in Florida before, but I'm pretty sure it didn't stick around too long.

HUMIDITY - Minnesota has humidity, nobody can doubt that. There are 10,000 lakes there. But, humidity in Minnesota is nothing compared to Florida. Florida has the ocean, need I say more?

TEMPERATURE - There are the obvious temperature differences between Minnesota and Florida. However, Minnesota has the harsh extremes of -30 degrees or more vs. 100+ degrees. The summer here was great, I thought. The temp was consistently in the low 90's. Some days in Minnesota were hotter. I haven't experienced a winter in Florida yet, but look forward to mild temperatures. I am not quite sure what to expect, although I do know that I won't need my heavy winter coat.

RAIN - I never expected to find such a big difference in the rain in Minnesota compared to the rain in Florida. It's the tropics down here, meaning that it rains almost daily. The rain usually lasts for a minute or two, then the sun comes out. I have seen quite a few sun showers, and rainbows. You don't want to be caught on the road when it rains down here, because you will probably end up having to slow down to a crawl, or stop altogether. Many people turn on their emergency flashers just so other cars can see them. The rain drops down here are huge. In Minnesota there are many different words used to describe rain. You can have a drizzle, sprinkle, spitting, pouring, etc. In Florida, it's called a Monsoon. There is no such thing sprinkling here. I would much rather drive in three feet of snow in Minnesota than in the rain in Florida, but I expect I will get used to it.

Right now, we are in a tropical storm. It has been pouring for quite a few hours. We are to expect

We have all gotten our first illness since moving here. We all have mild colds. There are a lot of runny noses around here. We have actually never been healthier. I don't think we have ever gone this long with not having some minor cold or some trip to the doctor for an ear infection. We are very thankful to God for keeping us healthy. Teagen had a mild case of what we call asthma. After using the nebulizer, he was fine. I think it was brought on by his cough and runny nose. However, not having to bring him into the doctor every month for ear infections is great. I don't mind the coughing and snot. Okay, I don't really like the snot, but I deal.

Laws

Are we really following the law? Some people may think that some laws are stupid and ignore them. Is that right? I have always been taught that the laws are in place to keep everyone safe. One law in particular that I am very adament about following, and others could care less about, is speed. There is a speed limit! It's not a suggestion, it's a LIMIT! That means you don't go any faster than the posted number.

There are some out there that would argue that it is not safe to go the speed limit. If you are not going with the flow of traffic, you can cause an accident. My arguement is this; It's not the people following the rules that cause the accidents, it's those that get road rage or swerve to cut someone off that they think is going too slow. Those that drive carelessly, without concern for safety or speed limits, are the ones that cause the accidents.

I have never in my life had more people honk at me, or give me obscene hand gestures, or cut me off and slam on their brakes, than when I started driving in Florida. I guess there is a different set of rules here.

I know this is a subject that I am probably in the minority, or maybe I am the only one that thinks this way. I don't care. I am going to continue to go the speed limit, or less. God will protect me. God will see that I am obeying the authority appointed over me. God will see that I have respect for that authority. God will keep me safe.

I choose to follow the rules. I choose to follow God. I choose to obey.
Comment below on what your thoughts are.

Prayers

Little kids are adorable when they pray. My boys know that they can ask God for anything. Usually their prayers go like this.

Dear Jesus, help God. Help me listen to Mommy and Daddy. Help Daddy get home safe. Help me sleep good. I love you. Bless Mommy, Daddy, Jameson, Teagen, Gavin, all my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandma's and grandpa's. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Tonight, Jameson added a lot more. He asked Jesus to come back soon. He said I love you at least ten times. He elaborated on how much he likes God's stories in the Bible. Then he ended with,

"And all God's people said, Amen!"

It took all that was in me to not start laughing and crying at the same time. It was one of thoose times when what comes out of their mouths amazes me. I love my boys.

I have been working on praying more myself. The boys have picked up on this, and now won't let anyone start eating until they pray. They notice everything, and learn to do what they see being done. I am teaching my boys, not only to read and count, but also to love God, and read His word. It's a lot of fun.

Sleepless Nights

I have had problems with getting enough sleep at night lately, and falling asleep on the couch during the day. I put Jameson and Teagen to bed around eight, and Gavin goes down around nine. Then Gavin is up before ten, and every hour after that. I wasn't getting a restful sleep at all. I started feeding him rice cereal to see if that would help him sleep more, and it didn't. I didn't know what to do, and didn't have enough brain cells that were awake to think about it. My house had become a complete mess. I just couldn't do anything.

Finally I asked some friends for advice.

The solution? Well, I put footsie pj's on him. He slept for about seven hours that night. I was so happy. He still woke up at about three am to eat, but it wasn't as bad as every hour. I still need some advice on getting him to sleep through the night. I think I might try putting him to bed a little later.

My other problem with sleep, is Teagen. Teagen has a built in alarm clock. He wakes up at two am and crawls into bed with Scott and I. He will snuggle in between us, and start sucking his fingers. Not only is it loud, it's wet. He drools. He will also start rubbing my arm or face. He is a very cuddly kid, but keeps me awake. He kicks too. I need to find a way to keep him in his own bed. I am pretty sure this one is my fault. I have let him crawl in bed with us for such a long time, it may be a hard one to break.

I just want some sleep.

On another note, Jameson is doing great with school. I love being able to read him something and ask him questions. His answers are so elaborate. He remembers every detail, and will start acting out whatever story he is currently learning. He once pretended to be Moses and tell the Pharoah to "Let my people go!" I love it. He has an amazing imagination.

My Birthday

Today is my Birthday.

My mom sent me an email today that started with "Happy Birthday Odie!" That's what they used to call me. You know Garfield's old pal, the dog that always had that stupid smile on his face. That was me. My parents gave me the nickname Odie because I was always smiling. I looked back at all my birthday cards from when I was a kid. Yes, I saved them. In every single one of them there was the word smile, and it was underlined by the sender. I was the kid that after having my picture taken, I would still have a smile on my face. I was just that happy. I look at my life now, and I am still that happy. I am so blessed to have the family that I do.

I know I don't smile like that anymore. I am definitely going to work on that. A smile on your face can bring a smile to another face. Just like a childs laugh, smiles are contagious. Have you smiled today?

On my birthday, I usually take a look back at my life and see where I have been, and where I am now. This always includes looking back to a horrible, but very memorable day. My 22nd birthday. September 11th, 2001. My birthday had always been a time of joy, and a time to celebrate. Now, everybody is thinking of those two towers, and the tragic loss of lives. Now when my birthday comes around each year I think about what I can do to save lives. I'm talking about eternity here.

Do you know Jesus?

5 months

Gavin is 5 months old today.

He's full of smiles. Check out the dimples.

He is trying to crawl. He gets up on his hands and knees, then does a face plant, and comes up with a big smile on his face. It's almost like he was saying "I meant to do that." We love him.

Homeschooling

I had a great day at the park yesterday with some of my church family. We went to Sugar Sand Park. It is built out of wood. There is usually a water area, but it was under construction so that part was closed. The rest of the park was great though. It kind of reminded me of my old Elementary school playground. For those of you in MN, do you remember Pinewood? I loved that place. The kids had a blast. We kind of had a little birthday celebration. Lots of fun, we will be bringing the kids back again soon.

Since Scott and I were kind of in the birthday mood, I went to Publix to buy some ice cream. As I was waiting in the check out lane, I started talking to an elderly lady. I asked her if she knew of any parks nearby. She mentioned a few, then asked how old my kid was. I told her I have three boys, ages 4, 2, and 5 months. She asked if my oldest was in school yet. I told her that I was going to homeschool them. After a few seconds of receiving a very weird look from her, she asked WHY?

I have been asked this question by people many times, so it wasn't a surprise. What was a surprise was how she reacted to my explanation.

I told her that I didn't want someone else to teach my kids. I wanted control over what they were learning. If I homeschool, then they will learn what the public school system is not able to teach them. At home I am able to implement the importance of a relationship with Jesus.

Her response was, "Isn't that what church is for?"

This is the problem with the world today. The majority of the people out there do not teach their children anything slightly resembling religion. They expect their church to do that.

This Week

This week starts many new things.

First, we are starting home school tomorrow. This will be a new adventure for all of us. Jameson is starting Preschool, so it is his first time having a somewhat strict school schedule. This will also be my first experience with trying to teach. Pray for us. I am a little nervous. I am told that I shouldn't worry, cuz it's not important to follow the curriculum entirely. I am one for following the instructions to the T. I am going to try to adjust things to fit our family and Jameson. Both Jameson and Teagen are excited to start school. I still don't know what I will do with Teagen. He doesn't like to be left out, so I think he will be doing a lot of coloring.

Second, we are starting our new chore schedule. The boys are old enough to start learning how to do certain things around the house. I now have a schedule set up for all of us. We are actually going to have things written down that need to get done daily. Yes, I have resorted to lists. I never thought I would be the type of person to make lists. I never used to be very organized, but things are going to change.

Third, Gavin is turning 5 months old on Thursday. He is growing up so fast. He is almost sitting up on his own, and he is scooting around on the floor a lot. With how often he attempts to speak, I wouldn't be surprised if he spoke his first words this week. I know, it's probably still a little too soon. Oh well, I still have some great conversations with him.

Fourth, this week starts a new year in my life. That's right, my birthday. There are some people that don't look forward to their birthdays after a certain age. I don't think that day will ever come for me. I love my birthday. I am exactly as old as I feel. The number doesn't matter. I'll be 31 on Saturday if you were wondering. After still being able to play on a playground with my kids, I don't feel like 31. Though, I may be sore tomorrow.

Camera

I got my camera back. I am so excited. I am going to take so many pictures and that might be all that you see in my posts for a while. The boys are excited too. Jameson wants to take some pictures of me. That might not happen, but we'll see. I decided to let Jameson use my old camera that is already broken. It doesn't take very good pictures, but it will work for him. I know he'll enjoy it.

I am really excited for this long weekend. I probably won't post again for a few days. Scott has three days off work. I get to see him for three whole days. I don't know what we're going to do, but it doesn't matter. We get three whole days together.

Prayer

There is this song that I think explains it best.

What A Friend We Have in Jesus
What a Friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Words: Joseph Scriven (1857)

I love this song. I admit, I struggle with prayer. I do not meet with my Lord nearly as often as I should. I am working on this. I am going to pray all day long. I am not going to say "AMEN", my prayers are going to be never ending. Continuous time spent in prayer with God is what I crave. I long for Him, my best friend.