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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Claire. Is. Funny.


A few days ago I noticed that there were lots of mysterious recordings on our dvr. They are all titled "kill dust mites". Humm. I know that I didn't record them, and the only other possibility was that they where recorded from the upstairs remote. Luke has no clue how to do that, but his big sissy is very tech savvy. A few days passed, and I forgot about it... until last night. As I was folding laundry in our room I went to turn on something that I dvr'd and I was reminded of it. Jeff, Luke and Claire happened to be in the room too, so I started questioning them.
I turned on the mysterious program, and Claire eyes LIT UP. Here was our conversation...

Claire: "I love this show!!!"
Me: "What is it?"
Claire: "It's the Steam Pocket. It's a cleaning machine. You just use water, no chemicals!!!"
Me: "What is that guys name?" (referring to the infomercial host)
Claire: "Oh, that's Mark!"

I asked her several more questions, and she told me all about the product. She even tried to tell me that we should get one. HA!
Seriously! She has been watching infomercials when she wakes up in the morning. Apparently this is her favorite! She crack me up. Jeff and I could not stop laughing. I love this girl!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Papa Gerry and Nana Sara's house

In November the kids and I went up to Colorado to visit my parent! We had ton's of fun playing outside, going to a candy factory, visiting with Oma... and on and on!




Uncle Gary and Aunt Kathy's house

In October we went down south to see Jeff's Aunt and Uncle! We had so much fun going to the pumpkin patch, having a bonfire, and doing a lot of fishing!











Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Pictures

Just a few pictures...
Claire and Luke sporting their COLTS gear!

This goofy guys loves his Sissy!!!
Claire and LaneHappy Fall! These are some brownies that I magically turned into pumpkins! YUM!




Wednesday, September 30, 2009

When life gives you lemons...

Hi Friends! It has been a while since I posted, so I thought I would give you an update on the Turner clan! It has been a crazy few months, but God is good and He is so evident in our lives.

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be
afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:7
1. On August 18 Jeff went in for some test results at the doctors office. He had been having some weird symptoms, so I insisted that he go in. After a few hours of being gone he called to tell me that he was being admitted to the hospital. I went into panic mode (easy for me to do!). Once again some WONDERFUL friends stepped in to watch the munchkins, and I headed to the hospital. We found out that Jeff has a tumor/ lesion IN his spinal cord. We still do not have a clear diagnosis of what it is, as biopsying it would entail removing vertebrae. So, after a week in the hospital, and a while at home, we are still waiting. Jeff will be having repeat MRI's for the next year or two. But, praise the Lord, the last MRI showed a small bit of shrinkage. Please pray for complete healing, peace and patience while we wait for a definitive answer.


2. Claire and Luke started preschool again. They absolutely LOVE their teachers and have already learned so much in just a few weeks. I am so thankful for our church and the preschool program that they provide.


3. Me, well, I have been trying to cope. Janis, Jeff's Mom, came to stay with us for almost a month. She was amazing. I have never met such a patient person... I hope someday I can be that way! And... slowly our routine is getting back to normal!


4. I have a new website! Check it out... http://www.prettypiecesofme.com/ . Kelly over at Fabulous K did an amazing job. You might want to start thinking about Christmas presents! ;)
Lot's of love, e
Claire and Luke on the first day of school!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

labeled

Sometimes I feel labeled. Claire and Luke's mom. The short girl. I label myself sometimes... I tell myself I'm "THAT mom" you know the one, the one with too many rules for her kids. I used to tell myself I was "chubby". Well, you get the idea.
This old Lane Bryant add really made me sad. I think it set a president for our Grandmothers and Mothers that if they needed a bigger size they where not "regular". SO WHAT if you need a bigger size. Yeah, you might need to improve your health. Yeah, you might be better off in the long run if you lost a few pounds. However, how much you weigh and the number in the back of your jeans is irrelevant. 1 Samuel 16:7 says:
7 The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
This is one of my favorite scriptures. I think about it often, actually I think of it daily. I hope you are not discouraged by the way our Master has created you. He is a wonderful artist and we are all beautiful in His sight.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Decorating

Yesterday I let Claire and Luke put a few things on the walls in their bedrooms. They thought it was SOO fun! Claire chose to hang her huge fish that she made for her preschool program, and a picture of her and Papa Gerry. Luke chose to hang a picture of him and Claire, and the giant life preserver that he made for his preschool program. Out of all the picture choices that I gave him here is the one he chose... He loves his Sissy VERY much!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Emily is like...

Here is a fun one...
I usually don't participate in these, because honestly, I think they are annoying! However, this one was fun. Here are the instructions:
1. Go to Google 2. Type in "(your name) is like" - make sure it is in quotation marks 3. Write down the first 10 things that come up.
__________________________________________________________________

1. Emily is like my favourite name now ...
2. Emily is like the coolest person ever.
3. Emily is like }i{ DOODLES }i{.
4. Emily is like learning to ride a bicycle.
5. Emily is like a childhood friend to me.
6. Emily is like her old and worn down house, since the world changes ...
7. Emily is like all her women friends.
8. Emily is like a second mother to the pack as she cooks and cares for them on regular occasions, while being treated like part of the pack in return.
9. Emily is like Jane Austen manners-- ladylike with a biting and insightful wit, always, always, dressed for the occasion.
10. Emily is like, "we all sit down together, hold hands and sing Kumbaya," and I just cracked up.



___________________________________________________________________



Bonus points if you can tell me what book #8 comes from!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Manna

Several months ago Claire and I had the opportunity to spend the weekend with a few of my roommates from school (love you girls!). Stephie and her daughter Sofia took Claire and I to a mother- daughter "pajamarama"! We had so much fun doing crafts, and having breakfast for dinner. The best part, and the part that Claire remembered most, was making manna bags.

A manna bag is a gallon zip lock bag filled with non-perishable foods. Our manna bag was filled with: a water bottle, apple sauce, cookies, peanut butter crackers, vienna sausage, a napkin, a spoon, and a note of encouragement made by Claire! The idea of this bag is to be able to keep it in your car and to be able to hand it to someone when you see it fit. A homeless person on the corner, someone that looks hungry...etc. In Matthew 25:34 it says

34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed
by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the
creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I
was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited
me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after
me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

So, on with my story... Claire and I had the opportunity to give out one of our manna bags to a homeless man and it was a great experience for her! I in-turn thought that creating manna bags with our whole small group at Church would be such a great event! So, a few months later, we where able to have nine families participate! I have written before about how much our small group means to us...I am thankful for such a wonderful group of friends that are filled with compassion for community and family. It was so fun seeing all of our children filled with that same compassion!

Here are some pictures from the evening...

All of our munchkins holding a manna bag!
Amanda and Sydney




KJL with his Mommy!


Thursday, June 11, 2009

since the last time...

Let's catch up... by the way I have been dreading this post, so just bear with me. I will try to keep it short and to the point, but we all know that sometimes I am not capable of that. HA!

April... The month started out good. Our mom's came and we all had fun (see the last post). But, a few weeks into the month I started having a lot of seizures, a lot more than normal. I was tons sleepier than normal, even sleeping for hours during the day. Basically, I wasn't functioning well enough to take care of the kids. On April 14 (thankfully the Saturday before Easter) I woke up having back to back seizures. Jeff called around to our AMAZING friends to find places for the kids to go so that he could take me to the hospital. Anyway, once we got there I was taken back and given tons of meds and even given a picc line (OUCH). I was admitted and remained in the hospital for a week. They ran tons of test and no one seemed to be able to do anything for me. I was averaging about 15 seizures a day, and I was very drugged up. At the end of the week I was transferred to the Parkland Seizure Unit in Dallas. It was not a pleasant place to be, but after only 17 hours of being there I had a diagnosis. Without going into great detail I will tell you that I do not have Epilepsy, and we praise God for that!!! I do however have anxiety and stress induced seizures. We were reassured that I am not crazy, that these are are in-fact real seizures, and that this is just the way that my body handles stress and anxiety. I am now seeing new doctors and learning how to control the said issue... which is not as easy as one might think.

NOW, I want to thank all of you who have been sooo supportive of us.

Thanks to all of you that kept Claire and Luke. What a huge blessing to not have to worry about your children because they are in such loving homes!

Thank you to all of you that brought us food... it was all so good, and such a stress relief for me, Jeff, and our Moms!

Thanks to our parents who dropped everything to come here and just be with us.

Thank you to all of you who prayed. The Lord has been good to us.

Thank you to our friends who came to the hospital and sit with us, and listen to the craziness coming out of my mouth :)

Thank you for the flowers, the sweet Easter baskets for the kids, mowing our lawn, and even CLEANING MY WHOLE HOUSE!
We are so blessed!
So, there you go, that was our April... maybe I will get to May in a few days! Here are some Easter pictures of the kids compliments of my amazing friend that kept the munchkins over the whole entire Easter weekend! Thank you girls... you really don't know what that means to me!

Look what the Easter bunny brought the boys!!! KJ, Luke, and C-bug!

Luke got to stay w/ KJ and the L clan... thanks for treating him like family!!!!
BFF'S Gracie Claire and Claire! Claire stayed with the Aslin fam! Thanks :) !!!!

Claire and Luke... This little guy is NEVER serious!


Proud of her Easter basket!


Before Easter church w/ Claire Gracie Claire holding Molly, Sydney and Luke.

Friday, April 03, 2009

cowboys and cowgirls

A few weeks ago my very sweet husband flew my Mom and my Mother in Law down to visit us for a week! We had so much fun... during the visit we went to the Fort Worth Science and History Museum. It is under construction right now so the exhibits are small, but what do a 2 year old and a 4 year old know? Luke loved the space exhibit and Claire loved the grocery store exhibit! Before we left we went through the National Cowgirl Museum. The kids got to ride a bull and get a video taken, so without further ado... introducing my little cowboy and cowgirl! :)

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Mr. Manners

One of my greatest pet peeves in life is manners, especially at the dinner table. I really feel like there is NO reason in the world to chew with your mouth open... ever. So shoot me if you do and your OK with it... I'm not. I think it is gross. So, as a result, I have already taught Claire how to chew with her mouth closed, and now I am starting to teach Luke. For some reason though I think teaching Luke is going to be a little bit harder though. He is trying really hard and making a huge effort! I caught him on video trying his hardest. Not the most appetizing thing, but very funny. I especially found it funny when Claire started giving him tips... listen closely for them, I know they will make you laugh too!

Friday, February 27, 2009

Spoken to.

This story is powerful. It looks long, but it really won't take you that long to read it... It is amazing to me what the the Lord could do with me if I would stop and listen...

The Old Man and The Hair Brush
Beth Moore
April 20, 2005
Knoxville Airport - waiting to board the plane: I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I'd had a marvelous morning with the Lord.
I say that because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you.
You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the least of which is your ego...
I tried to keep from staring but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones. The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy grey hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long. Clean, but strangely out of place on an old man.
I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face. As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered reading somewhere that he was dead. So this man in the airport... an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere?.... There I sat trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served on a wheelchair only a few seats from me. All the while my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him. Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man. I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing. I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. "Oh no, God please no." I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, "Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. 'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!"... There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, "Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane." Then I heard it..."I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair." The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, "God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I'm on this Lord. I'm you're girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am on him. I am going to witness to this man." Again as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. "That is not what I said, Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair." I looked up at God and quipped, "I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane, How am I suppose to brush his hair without a hairbrush?"... God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: "I will thoroughly finish you unto all good works." (2 Tim 3:7) I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself. Even as I retell this story my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man, and asked as demurely as possible, "Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?" He looked back at me and said, "What did you say?" "May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair? To which he responded in volume ten, "Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that. At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, "SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?" At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Longlocks. Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, "If you really want to." Are you kidding? OF course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, "Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush." "I have one in my bag," he responded. I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things well, but I must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull. A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair. I know this sounds so strange but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes - felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while. The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's. His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's. I slipped the brush back in the bag, went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees, and said, "Sir, do you know my Jesus?" He said, "Yes, I do." Well, that figures. He explained, "I've known Him since I married my bride." "She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior." He said, "You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself. What a mess I must be for my bride." Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it. Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft. I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, "That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?" I said, "Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!" And we got to share. I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted because you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need! I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way... all because I didn't want people to think I was strange. God didn't send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me.
John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
By Beth Moore In "Further Still"

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentines Day

Today was a relaxing day at home. Tonight was our usual Saturday night at church, in which we love! However, I have a quick and funny story to share... as we where walking the kids to class Luke saw one of his favorite friends KJL. Luke ran to him and started to pull his pants down to show off his new pull ups. I caught him before he could successfully complete the act, and I explained to him that we don't pull our pants down in public. I took Claire to class while Jeff took Luke. Later this evening Jeff told me that while he was standing in front of Luke's classroom trying to find his name tag, Luke DID in fact take his pants to his ankles! KJL got to see Luke's new Cars pull up, which Luke is VERY proud of! OBVIOUSLY. The part I wish you could have seen... Luke standing there with his little jeans around his ankles, in the middle of a crowded hall, with a shirt that said "Lover boy" across his chest. That boy makes me laugh and I love him so very much. Happy Valentines Day.

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