HA ! He is a fifth grader, but not your average, run of the mill fifth grader. He got first place at the science fair with his homeade rocket !! Complete with a blue ribbon. I am ashamed of my fear that he would be dissappointed, ashamed, but eager for the next opportunity to believe in him.

                  Isabelle, on the other hand did not win anything. She handled it well, better than me. Why do I feel like these children are still somehow inside of me, and connected by flesh and blood to my heart ? I know. Its how God  feels, duh.

 ps. I will post a picture later. peace….hope you don’t need it as much as I do.

Well, tonight is Adam’s 5th grade challenge play. Its called “a year in the life of the peanuts gang”. I am so nervous and excited that my stomach is in knots ! This is just another example of how Adam can do ANYTHING he puts his mind to. When auditions started, months ago, I found myself preparing him for the worst.

                           Why did I do that ? I was afraid he would be dissappointed. Well, he picked out a monologue from the classic movie….nacho libre, and he worked on a funny dance, and then…he prayed. Personally, I thought it was a little ambitious, but he had his mind made up. He was trying out for ….snoopy! It was the only part he was interested in, and he set his eyes on the prize. After several callbacks and weeks of deliberation, we found out…..HE GOT IT!!

                     Tonight is the night. I get to watch my son play a part that he felt belonged to him from the start. I get to have my faith restored, that when you want something bad enough and you work hard….it CAN be yours. These kids, they teach me something new every day.

Last week I got a phone call from the Greenville News. The voice on the other end of the line asked for the parent of Adam Wirthlin. Anyone who knows Adam knows that this sent panic through me…..”has he done it, did he finally impeach the fifth grade president ?, started a politically incorrect debate, insulted the president ?” Alas, his teacher submitted some  poems and Adam’s was chosen !! SHOCKER, he hates to write. So ,when he came home, I asked him what the poem was about. He did not even remember. He had jotted something down and turned it in.

                   This just goes to show how the things we say or do can seem unimportant to us, but special or spot on to someone else.It also shows that Adam’s possibilities are limitless……….So, go get a paper and read what my baby wrote !! There is a picture too.

I am REALLY not being disrespectful. Laughter is the medicine that works best for me. Isaiah got a stomach virus the 2nd week of school, it lasted 10 days and made its way through all of us, add it up people. Thats a months worth of sick. We had a couple of good days after that and then, Isaiah got a throat infection/cold and Thomas had ear/sinus infection. Anti-biotics to the rescue. Another week of our lives gone. They finish their meds like good little boys and WHAM 3 days later, Thomas has pneumonia. That was 2 weeks ago. Flash to this past sunday…Isaiah went to bed with a cold and woke up with his eye crusted over. Back to the dr. more anti-biotics. Hello….pink-eye. He is recovering well, really a trooper. Picked Adam up at school, he said his eye was hurting, and within an hour I knew…he has it too. The dr. was wise enough to give us extra meds.

                The moral of the story is that even though these have been little bitty struggles in the scheme of the world, they have really gotten me down. It feels like we can’t catch a break. Instead of saying #%$@, I guess I should try a little faith. Pray for us.

What kid has not asked, at one time or another,”what does JESUS look like?” I think it is a simple question. I have given a variety of answers over the years ranging from the bare minimum of information all the way to reading exactly what the Bible says about it. Well, when Isaiah ( my youngest ) asked the other night (why do all the questions come when you are laying in bed?) I was tired frankly, and so I said, “why don’t you just ask him to show you what he looks like ?” So, he turned over, head in the pillow for just a second, and said….”he showed me his  LION FACE” I guess I didn’t answer quickly enough, cause then he leaned over and said “you know mom, the LION OF JUDAH “.  As if to say “DUH!”  Ask a simple question, get a simple answer.   Have a good night.

Adam is 11 years old. I can’t believe it or stand it. He is suspended between child and teen. It is a time of constant learning and leaning on GOD. Adam can understand concepts that should be over his head, he has a great grasp on politics, although most of what he says comes straight from Thomas. Thats ok…thats how you learn, imitating. I hope and I pray that we are good stewards of this amazing son. I am so grateful to be his mom and frankly, just to know him. He is funny, sweet, still affectionate, compassionate and best of all has a real hunger for knowledge, which makes him very teachable.

                   I wouldn’t tell him this, but Adam is one of my best friends. I can’t believe his foot is bigger than mine now ! Today I will pray that his FAITH will grow bigger than mine, and his HEART will be bigger than mine, and his REACH and UNDERSTANDING will be bigger than mine. Love to all, its a happy day. A happy birthday.

It never fails, when Isabelle writes a song, it makes me cry. It doesn’t always flow, or rhyme. It never has a verse or a bridge. But when she picks up my guitar and strums and sings what is in her heart to the LORD, true worship is acheived.And I am moved.

Here is her latest….

You are the one I’m after in my dreams

thats how it seems…

it makes me want to dance and scream

dance and scream

thats how it seems

your love is like a flower,that hides a bird

and your golden wings shine so bright

thats how it seems

makes me want to dance and scream

I look in the mirror and I see something I’ve never seen before

  I guess its you…thats how it seems

 makes me want to dance and scream, dance and scream

If only every worship song could be this deep or this real. Oh, my isabelly…i love you.

I am learning a hard lesson this week. That lesson ?? That I cannot and should not fight all of my childrens battles for them. Sounds easy, feels hard.

                 Adam(almost 11)has a really tough teacher this year. I like tough teachers, I love for him to have a challenge. He is very smart, he is clever, he is kind, and….he has his own opinions. The fifth grade teacher that he has is riding him like a brand new pony that she just got for christmas. (thats hard, in case you didn’t know)And I am having a hard time letting my little light shine. I want to. My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. Lucky for me, Rich just preached on raising children. And so I am biting my tongue, instead of fighting the battle, I gave him a plan of strategy. Adam loves war lingo, and all things militant. So we(me and him) are going to think of Mrs.????? as the general. He/I will submit, follow orders, go above and beyond what she asks, and when the time is right and she has a little cold, or a headache He will ask if he can pray for her. And I will be at home in the natural, but with him in spirit holding his arms up in this battle.

                   In the end, I hope he learns that love is patient and kind, slow to anger and eager to find the good in others. Love is a battlefield, and I will give him weapons and armor, but ultimately, He will fight the battle.

I don’t know about you, but I get very stressed out when one of my children has a project due. Truly. I worry about it for days in advance, and if it were not for the shame of it….I would complete each and every one on my own. When I say “on my own”, I mean, on my own with Thomas’ help, of course ! Ha Ha ! Tonight, we managed to study for Isabelle’s spelling test, study for Isaiah’s spelling test, complete Isaiah’s family tree project complete with coloring, cutting, glueing, using our neatest handwriting, study for Adam’s social studies and spelling tests (which is like pulling a donkey’s teeth), label a map of Africa for Adam’s challenge class AND do the regular nightly homework. And still had them in bed by 8:40. Except for Adam, who we rewarded for such hard work, by letting him stay up and watch Bill Oreilly interview Barack Obama. Thats just the kind of kid he is. I know…weird.

          All that being said, it is really on my heart to pray for moms that have to work. And to give thanks that I am not in that place right now. I’ve done it, and I felt a great sense of accomplishment when my first paycheck came in. It was nothing compared to the feeling I had tonight when Isaiah finished off his family tree with a big ol tiger paw ! Go Clemson.

Anyway, join me in my prayer. Lord, I lift up families all across our town, our state, what the heck, the nation. I lift up moms. I ask you for superhuman, and supernatural strength, organizational skills, budgeting skills. I pray that their ears would hear even the softest cry. That their voices would be a soft as angel wings landing on their childrens cheeks (please give me this lord). I ask for heightened discernment, a radar that leads them to problems before they become problems. Most of all….JOY. THAT is real strength. Fill them up. There is nothing quite like a joyful mommy. WE CAN RADICALLY CHANGE THE ATMOSPHERE IN OUR HOMES AND IN OUR KIDS HEARTS IF WE CHOOSE TO REJOICE. Good night. Sorry it was so long. Didn’t think it would be when I started.