Did you see the season finale of Grey's Anatomy last night? This song was played during some powerful stuff toward the end of the episode.
5/30/08 Update: Apparently, YouTube decided to take down that video. Bummer.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Goofballs
On the evening of Tuesday, April 29th, the family was over at Mom Keener's to celebrate Crissy and Denise's birthdays. After an amazing chicken potpie dinner, I grabbed the camera to take some pictures of the family. The response from the boys was immediate. And incredibly goofy.Monday, April 21, 2008
Some thoughts...
Here's a glimpse into what is floating around in my brain today...
1. My husband graduated from year two of Men's Fraternity last night. It was a wonderful ceremony in which the four pillars of authentic manhood were highlighted - "Reject Passivity, Accept Responsibility, Lead Courageously, and Expect God's Greater Reward." Men are called up into four roles - the lover, the king, the warrior and the friend. This is incredible stuff, and my sweetie has flourished in these teachings. I'm very proud of him. He's gotten up at o'dark thirty for 24 weeks to be at LCBC by 6:00 AM for Men's Fraternity on Wednesday mornings. He loves it, and I love him.
2. My two-month-old niece, Caitlin, smiled at me TWICE yesterday! I'm floating in auntie bliss.
3. Precious friends of ours, Jason and Jenny Mitchell, are currently in Alabama because Jason's grandfather (Paw Paw) passed away over the weekend. I'm frustrated because they are there and I am here. As a result of their southern roots, they are far away from their Pennsylvania "family" as they are going through this. They were right by our sides when Ryan's father passed away in July. I want to be there to provide hugs, to play with Sienna if the adults need some quiet times to themselves, and to offer any other support that they need. That's what friends do, and it's driving me nuts that I can't see my sweet Jenny right now to squeeze her hand and be with her as they celebrate Paw Paw's life.
4. Life is short. Be pleasant and loving. Laugh as much as you can. Show Jesus to your neighbors.
So those are the things bouncing around in my head right now. Other than that, it's pretty quiet up there! :-)
1. My husband graduated from year two of Men's Fraternity last night. It was a wonderful ceremony in which the four pillars of authentic manhood were highlighted - "Reject Passivity, Accept Responsibility, Lead Courageously, and Expect God's Greater Reward." Men are called up into four roles - the lover, the king, the warrior and the friend. This is incredible stuff, and my sweetie has flourished in these teachings. I'm very proud of him. He's gotten up at o'dark thirty for 24 weeks to be at LCBC by 6:00 AM for Men's Fraternity on Wednesday mornings. He loves it, and I love him.
2. My two-month-old niece, Caitlin, smiled at me TWICE yesterday! I'm floating in auntie bliss.
3. Precious friends of ours, Jason and Jenny Mitchell, are currently in Alabama because Jason's grandfather (Paw Paw) passed away over the weekend. I'm frustrated because they are there and I am here. As a result of their southern roots, they are far away from their Pennsylvania "family" as they are going through this. They were right by our sides when Ryan's father passed away in July. I want to be there to provide hugs, to play with Sienna if the adults need some quiet times to themselves, and to offer any other support that they need. That's what friends do, and it's driving me nuts that I can't see my sweet Jenny right now to squeeze her hand and be with her as they celebrate Paw Paw's life.
4. Life is short. Be pleasant and loving. Laugh as much as you can. Show Jesus to your neighbors.
So those are the things bouncing around in my head right now. Other than that, it's pretty quiet up there! :-)
Monday, April 14, 2008
Moments
This morning on my way into work, as I was about to pass the Mount Joy Fire Department, a fire truck pulled out and turned right onto 772. Off they went. I dropped Drew off at preschool and heard more sirens piercing the air. Driving further on 772 toward LCBC I came upon the accident. There was crushed metal on the road and broken glass shattered everywhere. There was a man being strapped to a back board on the side of the road. It felt like there was a weight on my chest, and I immediately felt a lump in my throat. And I was reminded how life can change in an instant....
The difficult...
- The call from Arkansas early on a Sunday morning in July, "He's gone."
- The email from friends in Colorado, "She lost the baby."
- The visit from a dear pastor, "There was an accident. Grandma's not coming home."
- The results from the physician across the desk, "The tumor is malignant."
The wonderful...
- The moment he surprises you by emerging from behind the bushes with a bouquet of a roses and an engagement ring.
- The ultrasound tech, "It's a boy!" (This is not an announcement - just thinking back...)
- The results from the PET scan, "It's gone! I beat the cancer!"
- The instant that you finally decide to believe God's promises and trust him with everything you've got.
The blink of an eye...and you're changed forever.
The thing is, every moment has the opportunity to be a life-changing one. Like finally speaking those words of love and encouragement to your mate that you've been holding in. Or asking for forgiveness from a loved one. The moment may not change you forever, but our potential to affect each other's lives for the better is infinite...
We cannot control all the moments in our day, but God gives us the freedom to make decision about many of our moments. What will your moments look like today?
The difficult...
- The call from Arkansas early on a Sunday morning in July, "He's gone."
- The email from friends in Colorado, "She lost the baby."
- The visit from a dear pastor, "There was an accident. Grandma's not coming home."
- The results from the physician across the desk, "The tumor is malignant."
The wonderful...
- The moment he surprises you by emerging from behind the bushes with a bouquet of a roses and an engagement ring.
- The ultrasound tech, "It's a boy!" (This is not an announcement - just thinking back...)
- The results from the PET scan, "It's gone! I beat the cancer!"
- The instant that you finally decide to believe God's promises and trust him with everything you've got.
The blink of an eye...and you're changed forever.
The thing is, every moment has the opportunity to be a life-changing one. Like finally speaking those words of love and encouragement to your mate that you've been holding in. Or asking for forgiveness from a loved one. The moment may not change you forever, but our potential to affect each other's lives for the better is infinite...
We cannot control all the moments in our day, but God gives us the freedom to make decision about many of our moments. What will your moments look like today?
Monday, March 17, 2008
Gumballs
It's the middle of March already?! No kidding. Huh. How about that.
We are quickly approaching Drew's fourth birthday. He continues to be the epitome of cuteness. Even his most annoying quirks are adorable...
At our extended Keener family Christmas celebration this year, Ben and Drew each got a plastic gumball machine, each in the shape of a ball - Ben's is in the shape of a football and Drew's is in the shape of a basketball. Of course these machines each came with a small bag of gum balls.
Back up a bit. I grew up in a house where I was allowed to chew gum but ONLY if it was sugar-free. And my mom was quite strict about this, which was part of the reason why I didn't have a single cavity until I was 18 (left to my own devices, I ventured out into the world of gum WITH sugar - gasp - and sure enough, along came the cavities).
So there I was, on Aunt Valerie's family room floor with wrapping paper strewn about and both of my boys exclaiming, "Yesss!! Cool! Gum ball machines!!" Bet you can't guess the next thing out of their mouths..."Can we have one?!" Oh, boy. Knowing full well that my dental hygiene reasoning would not fly with these guys, I agreed. This was my first mistake.
So home we went with not one, but two new gum ball machines. The boys displayed them prominently on what we call the "low counter" in our kitchen - a location within eyesight AND easy reach. Second mistake.
As with any new toy, the gum ball machines were quite popular for several days. I had to become somewhat of an overbearing "let me see how well you brushed your teeth" mother, but they seemed to be enjoying their little bursts of sugar, so I did my best to cope.
My third mistake came when the little sample bags of gum balls ran out. A wise mother would have taken the plastic gum ball machines off the counter, hidden them in some dark corner of the basement or attic and been done with it. But not me. I'm not sure if this makes me an unwise mother, but it certainly doesn't make me the brightest bulb on the tree. At my next trip to Giant, I bought more gum balls. Now come on people, how enabling was this?!?! I just bought MORE of the very thing that made me cringe when my children opened them at Christmas. And I really had no idea what I was in for with Drew.
Drew likes the gum balls. No, no, that's the understatement of the century. The child is OBSESSED with the gum balls. Picture this...it's 7:00 am, everyone has rolled out of bed and is downstairs for the potty & breakfast routine. Typically, we are full of "good morning!" and "did you sleep good?" (Yes, I know it should be 'Did you sleep well?' but somehow I can't bring myself to ask my three-year-old such a grammatically sound, completely un-cute question.) But for Drew it has become this: run downstairs, go potty as quickly as possible and IMMEDIATLY ask "Can I have a gum ball?" This is before any talk of breakfast has commenced. This is usually even before we actually SEE him because he is such a blur on the way to the bathroom. We say no, of course, so he asks again after breakfast. "Can I have a gum ball? I haven't had one yet today." For a while I had a rule that gum balls could not be consumed before lunch. But I gave up on that a few weeks ago. The poor kid just seems happier with a gum ball in his mouth. But of course the stupid little gum ball machine never puts out just one gum ball. Oh no. Out comes at least two, EVERY TIME!! So next thing I know, my adorable little Drew is standing next to me with his little hand reaching up toward me saying "You get the purple one, Mom!" This kid may stink at sharing every single toy in the toy room, but he can share gum balls like nobody's business. Needless to say, I've been brushing a little harder these days. Although I kind of have a one-gum-ball-per-day limit for my own personal consumption, Drew does not. Nope, he'll chew four or five throughout the day, no problem! Now before you shake your head at me and think I'm a terrible mother for letting my child have such sweet treats, let me assure you that this child is not suffering from an overdose of sugar. The kid eats carrots and string beans and peas and apples and oranges and bananas like they're going out of style. So i figure a few bursts of sugar a day isn't going to cause permanent damage. And it's so stinking cute to hear him say "Can I have a gum ball?" and then exclaim "Yeesssssss!" when I tell him he may.
Like I mentioned before, he doesn't get one out of the machine at a time, but because I can't handle more than one a day, I start "saving" the ones he brings me later in the day. For some reason, the keyboard at my computer has become the holding area for mommy's gum balls. At any given time I could have four or five gum balls sitting on my keyboard, sometimes more if Ben is feeling generous with his gum balls as well. My keyboard often looks like a beautiful little rainbow of gum balls.
Honestly, as far as the gum balls go, I could take them or leave them. But man oh man, do I love my kids. Gum ball obsessions and all.
We are quickly approaching Drew's fourth birthday. He continues to be the epitome of cuteness. Even his most annoying quirks are adorable...
At our extended Keener family Christmas celebration this year, Ben and Drew each got a plastic gumball machine, each in the shape of a ball - Ben's is in the shape of a football and Drew's is in the shape of a basketball. Of course these machines each came with a small bag of gum balls.
Back up a bit. I grew up in a house where I was allowed to chew gum but ONLY if it was sugar-free. And my mom was quite strict about this, which was part of the reason why I didn't have a single cavity until I was 18 (left to my own devices, I ventured out into the world of gum WITH sugar - gasp - and sure enough, along came the cavities).
So there I was, on Aunt Valerie's family room floor with wrapping paper strewn about and both of my boys exclaiming, "Yesss!! Cool! Gum ball machines!!" Bet you can't guess the next thing out of their mouths..."Can we have one?!" Oh, boy. Knowing full well that my dental hygiene reasoning would not fly with these guys, I agreed. This was my first mistake.
So home we went with not one, but two new gum ball machines. The boys displayed them prominently on what we call the "low counter" in our kitchen - a location within eyesight AND easy reach. Second mistake.
As with any new toy, the gum ball machines were quite popular for several days. I had to become somewhat of an overbearing "let me see how well you brushed your teeth" mother, but they seemed to be enjoying their little bursts of sugar, so I did my best to cope.
My third mistake came when the little sample bags of gum balls ran out. A wise mother would have taken the plastic gum ball machines off the counter, hidden them in some dark corner of the basement or attic and been done with it. But not me. I'm not sure if this makes me an unwise mother, but it certainly doesn't make me the brightest bulb on the tree. At my next trip to Giant, I bought more gum balls. Now come on people, how enabling was this?!?! I just bought MORE of the very thing that made me cringe when my children opened them at Christmas. And I really had no idea what I was in for with Drew.
Drew likes the gum balls. No, no, that's the understatement of the century. The child is OBSESSED with the gum balls. Picture this...it's 7:00 am, everyone has rolled out of bed and is downstairs for the potty & breakfast routine. Typically, we are full of "good morning!" and "did you sleep good?" (Yes, I know it should be 'Did you sleep well?' but somehow I can't bring myself to ask my three-year-old such a grammatically sound, completely un-cute question.) But for Drew it has become this: run downstairs, go potty as quickly as possible and IMMEDIATLY ask "Can I have a gum ball?" This is before any talk of breakfast has commenced. This is usually even before we actually SEE him because he is such a blur on the way to the bathroom. We say no, of course, so he asks again after breakfast. "Can I have a gum ball? I haven't had one yet today." For a while I had a rule that gum balls could not be consumed before lunch. But I gave up on that a few weeks ago. The poor kid just seems happier with a gum ball in his mouth. But of course the stupid little gum ball machine never puts out just one gum ball. Oh no. Out comes at least two, EVERY TIME!! So next thing I know, my adorable little Drew is standing next to me with his little hand reaching up toward me saying "You get the purple one, Mom!" This kid may stink at sharing every single toy in the toy room, but he can share gum balls like nobody's business. Needless to say, I've been brushing a little harder these days. Although I kind of have a one-gum-ball-per-day limit for my own personal consumption, Drew does not. Nope, he'll chew four or five throughout the day, no problem! Now before you shake your head at me and think I'm a terrible mother for letting my child have such sweet treats, let me assure you that this child is not suffering from an overdose of sugar. The kid eats carrots and string beans and peas and apples and oranges and bananas like they're going out of style. So i figure a few bursts of sugar a day isn't going to cause permanent damage. And it's so stinking cute to hear him say "Can I have a gum ball?" and then exclaim "Yeesssssss!" when I tell him he may.
Like I mentioned before, he doesn't get one out of the machine at a time, but because I can't handle more than one a day, I start "saving" the ones he brings me later in the day. For some reason, the keyboard at my computer has become the holding area for mommy's gum balls. At any given time I could have four or five gum balls sitting on my keyboard, sometimes more if Ben is feeling generous with his gum balls as well. My keyboard often looks like a beautiful little rainbow of gum balls.
Honestly, as far as the gum balls go, I could take them or leave them. But man oh man, do I love my kids. Gum ball obsessions and all.
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