Lessons from the Basketball Gym

Tonight I was downloading some pictures off of my iphone and I found this beautiful one of the snow.  You know the snow is gorgeous when an iphone through a window looks this good. 

This picture is the sun coming up over the mountain on the beautiful snow.  We certainly live in a beautiful part of the world.  I love it.

This is a somewhat blurry picture of Kyle's AAU hoops team after they won the fifth grade championship this past weekend.  I love the guys on both of our teams and their families are our extended family.  Travel basketball (or any sport) is a huge commitment but we are together as a family making memories.  What touches my heart is that several of the guys called David over for the team picture after they won the championship.  It made me tear up that they chose to include David. 

This weekend I was watching a sweet little third grade team with several of our friends on it play in their first game ever.  They were so cute and we were just cheering them on with every ball they threw near the goal.  It hit me that if I would have planned David's future he would have been a "mini Kyle" and would have been out on that court playing hoops. 

God however, had a different plan for our son.  Instead of being on a third grade AAU team learning how to play competitive basketball like his brother, he instead is sitting on the sidelines cheering him on.  His low IQ, slow reflexes, and low muscle tone do not allow him to be competitive with kids his age.  Then I look at his blonde baby chick hair from chemo, the scars all over his body from the hell he has endured over the last year, and I got a lump in my throat. 

I, as a parent, would  NEVER have chosen this life for my son.  He has suffered so much in the last year and things that come naturally to you and me are difficult for him. To our human eyes he is far from perfect. 

Our Amazing God; however, looks at my son and sees that he is made in the image of Jesus and that his disability does not hold him back from doing the Lord's work. His disability and cancer have been used by God to touch us all.  We never want our children to endure hardships but God, our amazing God, has used my son to touch others and that makes me overwhelmed. 

So instead of hosting a pity party for all the things like competitive basketball that my son will not excel at, I am overwhelmed and amazed that our God has used his disability and stage four cancer to teach me and to teach you How He Truly loves us.  That was the lesson that God taught me this weekend in the basketball gym. 

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I hvae for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

Winter Wonderland

Today's snow fall was goegeous.  We woke up to a beautiful winter wonderland and it was actually sunny and warm so the kids could enjoy playing in the snow.  David and Hope have both been coughing this week so they were only allowed a few minutes of fun outside. 
This little girl was so excited...

until she realized that the snow was so deep that she could not walk.  She lasted maybe 10 minutes before she was crying to come in. 

She did last long enough for a annual snow picture!

Sweet and wonderful Kyle even tried to help her navigate the snow piles but it was over her knees and girlfriend could not move. 

Kyle helped shovel some and he loves to roll around in the snow to play football or even basketball. 

The snow was even too deep for sledding and the boys had to make a path to get the sled to even go down the hill.  David did not last must longer than Hope and because of his bronchitis earlier in the week that was fine with me.  We have enjoyed these days at home getting stuff done but I am ready to get back to preschool next week and I am ready to cheer on our Hornets this weekend in a local tournament. 

Snow Day

I am sitting at the computer with a big glass of tea, my babes around me, and we are watching it pour the snow.  It is a serious white-out here in our neck of the woods.  I am not a huge snow day fan anymore due to my hubbie's job, but I will admit that this snow is beautiful.  My kids are ecstatic and already begging to go out in it.  My rule has always been that it pretty much has to stop snowing to go out and play in it. 

I am still working on this new way to upload pictures to this blog and I skipped over a few from the last weeks or so.  This picture of Hope makes her look like a kindergartener.  Oh wow, it seems that the third grows up so quickly. 

She absolutely adores preschool.  Yesterday we were out of school for flooding and today we are out due to this hard and heavy snow pouring down.  She gets a little miffed when Daddy cancels school. 

Last night I got to meet the Jonas' new baby, Sage Jocelyn.  My friend Brandi and I went to visit them at the hospital.  My friend, Suzanne had to work really hard to welcome her into the world and it was such a blessing to meet that sweet new baby.  She is simply beautiful and I am so happy for them.  Their oldest daughter is Kyle's age.  They then adopted two boys (not at the same time) from Guatemala, and now they have added a little girl to their family.  They are living proof that God has the final say in the size of your family. 

We are in for the evening with all this snow pouring down.  It is simply beautiful and we are anxious for Mike to get home safely in this mess.  I have been spending a lot of time listening to podcasts from Oak Hills Church.  I feel like God is reminding me in this season of my life that He is first, others are second and I am third.  I am not sure why this lesson is everywhere for me right now, but I am learning and praying how I can give to others.

Sadly the last year I have had to be so inner-family focused getting David through chemo and all the drama that cancer can entail.  David's health issues and specifically his kidney issues are always on our minds.  I pray; however, that this season I am able to give back to those who have encouraged me over the last year and to those that need encouragement. 

I am enjoying these home days to clean out some cluttered spaces in our home and get ready for the Weecycle event in about a month.  Hope is growing so fast and not only has she outgrown lots of clothes but she has also outgrown some toys.  I want our home to evolve as the kids grow up, and today I am getting rid of the baby/toddler stuff :(