A Game of Amusment

 The weather here has been cooling down somewhat in the past few days, so we took up a short game of Frisbee the other day. Jace actually has a pretty good arm even if his aim could use some work ;), while Samuel... let's just say he has a very unique way of throwing (or just plain running around with) the disk!  

We were having a great time, and then (I was totally expecting this with some of the WILD throws going on), it must have been the wind that blew the frisbee up on the roof! See it?!

Of course, our hero was right there to rescue the disk-in-distress - haha, he was even dressed for it!

It was right back to wildly running and chasing the frisbee after that, even some wild throws into those fantastic telephone poles that are so wonderfully placed in our front yard...

...until one well-placed hit with the pole gave us not one, but TWO frisbees!

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted :)

Summer Summery!

Well, enough time has gone by without any updates. Time to get back on the ball around here!

Our summer was fun – though it did not go quite as I expected. I had such big plans for our little family - water days, learning days, outdoor days, do-something-we-haven’t-done-before days – we did some of those days, just not as many as I wanted too! The main culprit was the yucky morning sickness that has tagged itself to each of our pregnancies… thank goodness for the second trimester!!!

So… we had so many special visitors over the summer! Right at the beginning my wonderful childhood friend Keri and her family dropped by for an afternoon of reminiscing and horseplay (not Keri and I, but our collective boys!). It was awesome catching up with her and heading back in time for a bit. J And we’re pretty sure the four rascal boys had a fantastic time too, making fast friends and running through the house and neighborhood like wild banshees… sort of like Keri and I used to do!

Another awesome little family spent a few days with us, bringing along the sweetest little chunk of love! Of course I’m talking about our enchanting niece Virginia – and Katie and Michael too! It was SO MUCH FUN watching the boys interact with Virginia, she would be mesmerized by their wild antics, and they would have these little momentary breaks and come over to love on her. It was precious watching all three together, and it was delightful to have a long visit with Michael and Katie!

To round out the summer, we finally did something that I have dreamed about for the past 10 years… we had my nephew and nieces for a visit!! I was thrilled that it worked out and so thankful to my parents for bringing them down! Since Chris was born I had imagined summer visits with us, and being the “cool” Aunt Kryssy! Of course I think Brian and I were somewhat crazy for suddenly finding ourselves with five kids in our care (oh, and me pregnant!), but it was a fun, feisty, and fabulous two weeks! We even managed to take an overnight trip to Orlando and visit SeaWorld (see, CRAZY!), not to mention beach trips and just plain old fun and getting to know each other. It was an excellent time (even though the ending was a bit crazy… but on to that later!), and one I hope we can continue in the future – well, maybe with one kiddo at a time though! Hey, five kids at once was TOUGH!

Some of our other little adventures included some much-needed family days. It is amazing how hectic we sometimes find our lives in, with work and school and just STUFF going on. One particular fun day included actual learning (EGADS! Learning over the SUMMER!) when we checked out a Children’s Science Museum one rainy Sunday afternoon (note to self – don’t go on a rainy, Sunday afternoon again since that seems to be a popular destination for half of south Florida in those conditions!). Despite the crowds, it was very entertaining and we all had a great time. The boys were especially interested in the section on the airplanes, as well as the GINORMOUS, three-story pendulum clock that filled the courtyard. Brian and I thought it was pretty darn cool too. Definitely a go-back-to kind of place, just not on a rainy Sunday afternoon!

 Of course, we also participated in the familiar family escapades around housing, including sparklers on the Fourth…

… and Coast Guard picnic on the beach in August. Somehow Brian was designated chef of the hot dogs and hamburgers, and he performed his duties scrumptiously! The boys also wore themselves out on the crazy huge slide the station provides each year. Jace must have gone up and down that slide a hundred times that day!

And now we find ourselves back in the swing of school and Cub Scouts and doctor appointments, and homework. Jace is turning into a little man right before our eyes, starting 2^nd grade this year! I’m so proud of who he is becoming, and most especially proud of the Godly person he is. He was just telling me today that the best thing that has ever happened in his life is that he took God into his heart. I LOVE that child!

Since summer Samuel has been staying home from preK as well, though he is going to start back up on a part-time basis in a couple weeks. That little independent cutie-patutie is constantly getting into mischief, and then working those big blue eyes to get out of trouble! His favorite game lately has been to hide from me. When I realize he is gone - and can’t find him – commence heart attack. He is quite the little stowaway, and can stay hidden and quiet for a very long time. But don’t worry, he uses all that pent up energy to do something crazy… like jump on the couch – or off it in some cases!

So that’s the summarized version… I’ll try not to be so delinquent in future postings, because gosh I know that it took you forever to read through all that – and it took me forever to write it!!

I Want to Forget.

The memories of that day ten years ago when evil viciously and brazenly attacked and MURDERED nearly 3,000 people are still as surreal and painful to me now as they were then. I have cried numerous times throughout today watching the coverage and looking at photos, not even trying to hide it from the boys anymore, as I remember the images, sights, sounds, helplessness, and fear that hit us all with an unimaginable force that shattering Tuesday morning.

In this past decade one of the phrases to come out of the 9/11 terror attacks has been “Never Forget.” To be frank and honest, I want to forget.

Each year on this anniversary I have avoided anything that discussed what happened. Each time I see or hear anything linked to that day it makes me tear up. I want to forget the horrors of seeing that plane crash into the second tower on TV, forget hearing my boss say that our nation was under attack because my innocent mind simply could not fathom that fact on my own, forget spending the day in the command center watching the death over and over and over and over on the wall-sized monitors.

I especially want to forget being told I was going to New York to assist in the JIC, forget having to ask my supervisor to stop the car twice on our way there so that I could throw up because of the sheer overwhelming of it all, forget driving right by the Philadelphia airport and not seeing one plane in the sky, forget going to Ground Zero and smelling what I hope to NEVER smell again, and seeing the giant pile of destruction and staring at these microscopic things moving on that pile and realize they were PEOPLE looking for survivors, and I want to forget the sound of near silence all around us – no cars, no construction, no anything but hushed tones and muffled sobs.

Lord, please let me forget when I finally broke down and cried while at Ground Zero, when everyone suddenly and quietly lined up on each side of the street while a group of firefighters and a fire engine escorted the body of a firefighter that had just been recovered – one of a only a few bodies that ever was found. It was the first time in my life that I didn’t even try to hide that tears were streaming down my cheeks, because everyone else had tear-stained complexions too.

And let me forget taking all those horrors and emotions home with me and not dealing with them, instead trying to be “strong.” And please let me forget four months later finding out I was headed to Cuba to be in the JIC for the Al Qaida/Taliban detainees and how excited I was to see some sort of retribution for what THIS FILTH had done to us, only to find young boys, barely even teenagers, with arms and legs missing and heads bandaged and knowing right then that in a way, they were victims too – victims of the ignorance of a religion and culture not of love and compassion. Let me forget how I cried again for these “enemies” that night in my pillow.

Of course, I will never forget. But I fear that our country has, and that has opened up the door to a certain victory for that plot of evil.

Following the attacks, you could not go anywhere without seeing the American Flag flying proudly, or see and hear stories about strangers helping each other, and churches being full Sunday mornings. Sharing this devastation together truly joined us all in a UNITED States of America.

Now, a decade later, where are we?

It seems that our country is falling apart. Now more than ever a subtle evil is taking over. The mention of God in public is reduced every day.  It is more than ever acceptable (and in some cases encouraged) to be homosexual.  Want to pray in public? Unconstitutional. Want to be a Christian in public? Not happening. Want to send your child to a Christian School? Crazy religious nut. Adultery, murder, lying, idolism is glamorized in the media and television. Our country is distinctly and more than ever divided in politics, our economy is still in shambles, and everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else.

It makes me wonder if this was the plan of evil all along… that evil knew that it only took some time for us – a CHRISTIAN NATION – to fall on our backs instead of our knees.

I’m sick of the being afraid to be a Christian, and you know what, I’M NOT GOING TO FORGET! I’m not going to forget that GOD can make something good even out of something so horrific. I’m not going to forget the overwhelming love and support and compassion that people had for each other following the attacks – all over our nation. And I’m not going to forget how I turned to God with my questions… and my faith. And I still have FAITH that GOD can turn this mess around.

Now is the time for Christians to stand up, NOT FORGET, GET COURAGEOUS and TAKE BACK OUR NATION!!!!!