With Sadness and Joy

I had planned to write much sooner than this but our plans are not God's plans. My dear grandma passed away on Friday, December 12. I flew back to Nebraska for her funeral and a few moments with family. I was literally gone only about 48 hours from the time my plane took off! While it was a beautiful tribute to her life, it was also bittersweet knowing that the grandma I love and cherish will not be around to make memories with my children. She was, as my brother wrote, "the perfect grandma; the kind every kid hopes for and dreams of." She really did make the holidays wonderful and special. In memory of her, I thought I would make a list of all that has been special to us so far this Christmas season.

1) Knowing that none of the following is possible or as meaningful without the God who sacrificed so much for us.

2) Family and friends, near and far.

3) Watching Elijah teach his baby sisters how to clap.

4) Christmas Tea with the ladies of Grace E-Free.

5) Setting up the Christmas tree - and then again two more times when an eager 2 year old pulls it down.

6) Having snow and watching the kids play in it.

7) Christmas music.

8) Singing Christmas songs with Camden at naptime.

9) Kaiya and Reyna getting their first teeth 2 days apart.

10) Grayson convincing us to have hot chocolate every day.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Thank you daddy for praying, loving, wrestling, snuggling, reading, feeding, changing, singing, playing, working and being with us every day. We love you and appreciate you!

Celebrating Paul today and thanking God for him,
Monica, Grayson, Elijah, Camden, Kaiya and Reyna

Camden's Prayer

I just wanted to share this short prayer with you. Camden says this prayer 99% of the time at night before bed. You'd think it would seem repetitive but he says it with such sincerity and volume that you can't help but smile.

Camden: "God is great. Dear God, help us help mommy and daddy and all my family are great. In Jesus' name. Amen."

Thank you Jess for writing about the 7 x 7 prayer goal. It is something that I desire to become a habit for all of us.

Sweet Elijah

I had one of those "gulp" moments today. Most of you probably have another name for it - like "aha moment" or "the light went on". I describe it like it feels to me. Let me go back in time a little bit so you can understand where this came from.

About a year ago, Elijah and I started clashing. It seemed like any button he could push with me he did. This has continued and I have felt really guilty about some of my thoughts. I actually had a conversation with Paul one day and said, "I love Elijah - deeply and beyond words - but I don't really like him right now. I don't think we would be friends if he was our age. He is always loud, insensitive, selfish and whiny."

Okay - if you remember, this is also the boy who also says things like "I love you - wherever you go I go" and "I am going to live here forever." The latter of which he said today - while I was in the bathroom. I told him to wait for me outside the door just so I could have a little privacy (who am I kidding?) and he wouldn't budge. I asked him why he wanted to stay and never leave. His simple response, "Because I love you."

It only took a few minutes for those two scenarios to mesh together, and I gulped. I realized that is what God goes through with us every day. I can be selfish, whiny, unteachable, ungrateful - did I say selfish? The list could go on. What is amazing is that God loves me. He wants to be with me and never leave. I don't even deserve it and could never measure up, but He doesn't ask me to. All I have to do is love Him back. I know this and am beyond thankful, but I was grateful, yet again, for a child's love to put things in perspective.

My Team

Well, here's the whole team. I figure I better start calling them "team members" now so they are prepared when Paul hands them all jerseys, balls, bats, racquet's, etc. In this picture the boys are building with play-doh. They might tell you that yesterday was a near perfect day - playing outside with ice and dirt, warming up with hot chocolate and playing with play-doh. I would have to agree because the messes were fairly minimal! The only small disaster occurred when Grayson decided to mix the black, white and green play-doh colors together and Elijah was devastated to learn that it could not be reversed. I calmed him down by saying that now they had a really cool new color that no one else had. That will only work for so long!

Now, for the shocking news. For those of you who have so diligently teased Paul about his McDonald's addiction, and there are many of you, your work is far from over! He had a physical last week, which was great, and the doc had no concerns. Just today he got his lab results and they, too, were fabulous - too fabulous??!?? His cholesterol was only 141!! Now, I had mine tested a couple years ago and it was 162; a number that the doctor was completely thrilled with. So, while I am greatly relieved that my husband is a healthy man, I have to say, "go figure"! Before he ended our conversation on the phone this morning he said, "Well, I guess I need to go celebrate." We all know what that means.

I am ending with a request for help. I am trying to add music to this blog and can't seem to figure it out even though all the sites say it is sooo easy. If you can help, let me know. Thanks!!

What We Like and What We Don't

You probably can't really tell from the pictures but Kaiya and Reyna LOVE waffles. Last night I decided to give them one because they were still hungry but not wanting anything else that was mushy and gross. The waffles were gone in about 5 seconds but the mess took much longer to clean up! It was great to see them so smiley. What they don't like is the baby gate. I put in up in the doorway of their room in the morning so when I'm changing one and getting them dressed, the other doesn't crawl out the door and fall down the stairs. You would think I was closing them off from the whole world. They see me get it out and start screaming. If I leave the room to get something, they both stand there pounding on it. I'm guessing that Paul's plan to keep them sheltered in our basement until they're 30 is not going to work.

The Cardboard House

Elijah and Camden really wanted a box house this morning so we went to the basement to find just the right one. Elijah insisted that it have "two windows and a big door". After cutting those out to his liking we decided to "decorate" the inside. I drew some pictures on the wall. Elijah drew an oven with pizza and macaroni inside. Then we looked for a small box to use as a DVD player. His last request was to get mail, so we made some cardboard letters. Home sweet home! The funniest part was watching Camden. He threw everything that Elijah brought into the house out the windows. Needless to say, Camden didn't stay very long!

35 Years Ago

A few days ago I reached my 35th birthday. While the day itself is not that extraordinary, nor does it need to be, all that has happened since that first "birth" day is. I thought throughout the day about all that God had done, and continues to do, in my life. I marveled at all I have learned, the growing I have done (in some pleasant and not so pleasant ways!) and how much love I have experienced. I thought back to when I was around ten years old; when I always wondered what I would be like when I got older. Back then, I thought 35 was ancient. I wondered what I would look like; what I would like and not like. I was really puzzled about what kind of person I would be. I figured that there was no way you could be the same person you were as a kid.

Well, I have come to realize that not much has changed - on the inside anyway. I'm still pretty shy. I like to daydream. I love to be outside exploring. I want to have snow at Christmas. I could ride roller coasters all day long. What has changed the most are the countless blessings I have received since then. I look at my kids every day (not just when they're sleeping peacefully!) and say, "Thank you, thank you, thank you God for choosing me to raise these amazing children." I thank Him for a husband who surpasses expectations, a loving family, supportive friends and experiences that I will never forget. I thank Him for guiding my life and giving me a perspective I otherwise would not have. I know that life isn't always sunny. I have experienced heartbreak and am positive I will experience it again - I'm pretty sure it's a guarantee in this life. I am aware though that when I glance back in time its not the "storms" that stand out. Even in this last year, I could not think of one thing or one date that stood out as a negative. I continually pray that when the rain comes I am ready and willing to be faithful and strong.

I would guess that if you are reading this, you are one of those blessings in my life. Thank you. I look forward to another year of amazing moments.

Don't Cry Over Spilled Coffee....

...or is it milk? Anyway, if I'm drinking it, it's probably coffee. More on that later - let me set the scene for you.

It was kind of cold and gloomy this morning, so instead of cleaning or picking up after Grayson left for school, I decided to sit down with Elijah, Camden and the girls to watch a little PBS kids. It was great. Mr. Rogers came on and I suddenly felt 30 years younger! The kids all took turns on my lap, which is where Elijah's quote came from, and we laughed and talked about something different every minute. The boys and I made a "secret treasure map" out of a brown grocery bag and filled it with lots of silly places - Pink Tree Forest, Grey Boulder Park, Blue Mountains, Red Lake. I thought I was being really clever using colors as a learning tool. Then Elijah says, "Mom, we forgot a church." Umm, yeah. Isn't there some phrase about childlike faith somewhere?


After a while I decided that the dishwasher really wouldn't unload itself so I went into the kitchen - happy that the kids were so content and quiet. After what seemed to only be a few minutes, Elijah, again, says, "Mom, we have a mess in here!" Reyna was just a little too curious about the white cup, untouched until now, sitting on the "coffee" table (how ironic IS that label?). Well, praise God for cold coffee! It had remained in its place since the beginning of Mr. Rogers but was now all over the table, blankets and a little baby girl - who was laughing and slapping her hands quite vigorously in the puddle.

So, while I ended up cleaning more, washing blankets and baby clothes and going without my coffee, I wasn't crying at all. It's just another one of those days when my children end up teaching me more than I teach them.

In Honor of Veteran's Day

I thought I would honor a veteran that I had the privilege of knowing by sharing a few short stories. Donald Robert Wieland served in World War II and was my grandpa. I am so thankful that the Lord blessed me with such a fun-loving, adventurous and truly authentic man to spend so much of my childhood with. Here are a few of my favorite memories.

He and I once drove a golf cart through the small town of Blue Hill, Ne just to get ice cream at the local "drive-in". We later tried to make that same cart go up a really steep hill on the golf course - a stunt we would not conquer.

My grandpa was a dentist and I remember many times making jewelry out of the silver he used for fillings. I also have several plaster molds of my hands from various ages; he actually made one into a nightlight. I still have all of them. It was fun to sit in his chair without being a patient. I should mention though that he did manage to pull out many of my teeth without my even knowing it. I would worry and avoid him if I had a loose tooth, knowing that he would "just want to look at it". I would lean in and open my mouth and it was already over. He was that good.

He taught me how to drive on the dirt roads north of Grand Island. He would say, "Let's go for a drive", and I always knew that meant a lesson for me.

At Christmas, he always made up games for the whole family to play. My favorite was the "balloon game". He would blow up balloons of all colors and sizes and fill them with coins or clues or directions. They would be hanging from the ceiling and you had to pop them to see what you got. It was really funny when the adults had to do crazy things like dance or answer a tough question. I remember laughing so hard every year!

We both loved hot beef sandwiches (I still do) and it seemed like whenever we went out to a restaurant together, that's what we both got. The Ok Cafe in Hastings was one of our favorite places. The one difference being he would drown his with ketchup, as he did most things, and I preferred mine just the way it came!

I think I learned to love and appreciate nature from him and am so grateful for the time we got to spend "exploring" I think of him whenever I cross a river or see hunters in the Fall.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!

An Adventure

It was so beautiful today - 73 degrees, in fact. The fall foliage is endless here and I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing it all! Elijah, Camden, the girls and I went to a park that Grayson played soccer at this season. I'm not sure what its real name is but we lovingly renamed it The Forest Mountain Park today. It almost looks like you're in the foothills of the mountains. There are rocky trails and built in steps going up in various places. We collected rocks and leaves and oohed and aahed for two hours!! The boys were so tired that they fell asleep before we got home. In all honesty, I'm not sure who had more fun - them or me!

Kaiya and Reyna had their nine month check-up last night. All is great. They are both about 17 1/2 pounds and 26 inches long. Their doctor, Miss Laurie, always goes crazy over them. She has twin daughters of her own, teenagers, and quite frequently asks if I'd like to trade! She also added last night that she thought we should have more kids, to which I just laughed hysterically. The really funny, although scary, part of this story involves Grayson. He went along to be my helper - a job which he lovingly performed and did and excellent job with. The scary part occurred when about halfway through the exam of the girls he decides to whisper to me, "Mom, I accidentally fell in love with a girl today. " ACCIDENTALLY. FELL IN LOVE. WHAT???? "She had a really cute face and a really cute voice." He doesn't know her name and she's not in his class. Whew! Daddy, of course, says that he should really introduce himself and find out her name. Good thing he's going to be dealing with all of that "stuff" from now on. I'll stick to cooking and laundry - that's MUCH easier!! Please pray for Grayson that his loving heart will not get broken and that there is no other crush until he's 25 - that goes for the rest of the kids, too.

1...8...9

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm bragging. This is actually a HUGE praise I have to share with you. The significance of these numbers should not be overlooked. They represent the price of GAS in Cincinnati!! We are so happy and looking for reasons just to drive around, with no destination in mind, just to fill up again. Okay, not really. You know Paul, right? There are no unnecessary trips!! Anyway, thought you might like to know our good news.

On a sad note, we still have not won the million dollar prize through McDonald's Monopoly game. This should not reflect on Paul's effort. Tomorrow is the last day - so I guess the good news is I won't have to prepare breakfast, lunch or dinner. We have to give it everything we have, or at least all the money we're saving on gas!!

Tricks, treats and interesting questions!

Halloween was fun - even for us! We had two little girls dressed in orange and green, a cowboy, Spiderman and a robot. Grayson wanted to be a robot so I got to be a kid and make his costume all day Friday. Elijah and Camden "helped" with the painting! They got plenty of candy for Paul and I to enjoy. They don't need it all, right? Camden actually ended up with the most because he kept going back in for two and three handfuls! I guess people didn't notice - or maybe his big brothers were distracting them! Above all, the comment we heard the most was, "Are those all YOUR kids?" - like maybe we picked up a few from the neighborhood!

I have to share this story about Grayson. We're sitting at dinner tonight and he says "Mom, is meat good for you?" I said, "Well, it's not bad for you if you eat the right stuff and not too much of it." He then said, "Well, I was just wondering because I was trying to decide if I should be a vegetarian." I was really trying hard not to burst out laughing because he was so serious! I said, "Yes, meat has a lot of things you need as a growing boy." He said, "Okay, I won't be a vegetarian." I told him he could make that decision again when he was a little older, but he said he was pretty sure he wouldn't change his mind. I hope all of those life decisions are that easy for us to talk about!

Hope you all have plenty of sweets - if not, we have some to spare!

Not Forgotten!!

Hello all! I haven't forgotten about this or given up; I am getting a few pictures ready and as with most things it takes me a little while!

We are doing really well. We got a new van last week when our trusty old green one saw its last day - with us any way. The manager of the shop where we go for repairs has a ministry of sorts in which he fixes up vehicles and gets them to people who otherwise might not be able to have one. We felt good about that. Plus, the new van, a Honda Odyssey, is really great. The boys love all of the buttons and gadgets. I love the six disc CD player!!

The boys and I went to an event this past Saturday for Cub Scouts. It was at a beautiful place called Cub World. We walked a "spooky trail", played games and brought home way too much candy!

I put little skirts on the girls today! I thought that they would be too big and that their little legs were too short, but they are so adorable! (a picture of that to come for sure!) I can't believe how big they are getting and how different it is with them than their brothers. They pose like such little ladies and scream, yes scream, for your attention. The boys are always telling people about them and will say, "Look at our sisters. Aren't they so cute?" I think they are spoiling them!

Well, more later - hopefully with pictures!

Updates

As you can see, I didn't tell anyone about this yesterday. I wanted to look at it one more time before I actually brought attention to it! I thought maybe today I would just give a little update on what the Spence's are up to. We'll start with the youngest member and work our way up!

Reyna: standing up with the help of whatever she can find, feeding herself Cheerios and fruit puffs, wrestling with whoever is willing

Kaiya: learning to sit up by herself, also stuffing herself with cereal, starting to defend herself when Reyna comes to her ready to wrestle

Camden: talking like a little man, hugging and loving on everyone, being best friends with Elijah

Elijah: getting more competent on the Wii (much to Mommy's dismay!), learning all kinds of cool stuff in preschool (aka: mommy-is-the-teacher-at-home-preschool), enjoying laying in the dirt and digging up rocks

Grayson: loving 1st grade - especially gym class("It's NOT P.E. Mom!"), taking a break from soccer and hoping to start karate, enjoying Cub Scouts for which he is currently selling popcorn and doing very well(people tell him he's quite the salesman)

Mommy: treasuring the opportunity to witness all of these precious moments, taking the kids on "an adventure ride" to get iced coffee from McDonald's, helping to plan part of the women's retreat at church

Daddy: working hard to provide for his family, taking time out to play a little tennis and soccer, wrestling daily with his children(yes, even the girls)

We are a busy and blessed bunch. In fact, Kaiya is waiting not-so-patiently for me to finish this so she can have a little snuggle.

Something New

Well, I'm going to try this out! I didn't think I would ever be interested in writing a blog or even reading one until a friend recently introduced me to hers and I was pleasantly surprised. I experienced how much fun it was to hear about her family and see pictures of them. She is back in Nebraska, which is far from Cincinnati if you aren't sure (!), and I really enjoy still feeling like I'm right there listening to her. So, I thought that maybe family and friends of the Spence family might enjoy that as well. The kids are always changing and doing a million things at once. It will be fun to share some of those precious moments.

I don't promise that you will see something every day. Did I mention that there were five beautiful Spence children? Grayson, Elijah, Camden, Kaiya and Reyna do take most of my time, but I wouldn't have it any other way. The Lord has been so, so good to us in blessing us with this family. I feel it a privilege to enjoy them, teach them and love them every day.

Please be patient as I figure this out!