Nobody like a Mom

Today is my Mom's 75th birthday!  

There is nothing like a mom, my Mom. 

She is the ultimate Mom. Supermom.  She has never failed me. She has protected me. Stood up for me. Fought for me. Cried for me. Prayed for me. Laughed with me. She is more than my mom. She's like glue.  One of my very best friends. 

The roles need to be reversed now for a Chapter.  They have found cancer in her uterus/ovary and possible lymph node involved.  So it's time that we care for her. Surgery is Wednesday this week. I will be there to protect her. Stand up for her. Fight for her and yes I will surely cry for her.  She will be prayed for many many hours. 

So today as we are driving up to celebrate her and her birthday my heart is so grateful for her...  My faith is strong. God has got this...we won't let cancer win. God wins!  It's His plan. It's her story written by Him. 

Psalm 91: Unshakeable Faith

Unshakeable Faith.  That's my desire. Those 2 words. Trust. Believe.  No matter what. I want to trust in God's plan and His will in all I do and in everything I encounter. None of it is a surprise to Him. Nothing. His ways are better than my ways. Ultimately. He is sovereign. He is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow.  Earlier today this verse came to mind, I just literally heard Psalm 91.  I honestly didn't know what the verse was...so I looked it up. 

Perfect.  God knows. 

Psalm 91 

[1] Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [2] I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” [3] Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. [4] He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. [5] You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 
[6] nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. [7] A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. [8] You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. [9] If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, [10] no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 
[11] For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; [12] they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. [13] You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. [14] “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. [15] He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 
[16] With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. ” 

What Happened?

I am trying to catch up on mounds of laundry today..how is it that our 16 year olds clothes are SO big?  How can he be wearing a large, a men's LARGE.  35 inch long legs...Not an easy find with the 30 inch (or smaller) waist.  I remember it being yesterday that I texted a few friends that I was SHOCKED I had to buy him clothes in the adult section.  And NOW a large?  And in what feels like a 2 week span of time in many ways. And he is growing out of his shoes...STILL.  We are looking at 13's now.  Seriously?

And our little Max, our baby as I call him.  Is out of the toddler clothes and wearing boys XS.  Sigh.  No more 4T and 5T.  XS and S clothes.  Sigh...no more toddler clothes.  No more "little boy".

And then there is Jack, I couldn't find my shoes the other morning and needed to run out for a little and so I slid on someones slides that were by the door.  They were too big, and they were my 11 year olds shoes.  Oh my Jack and his size 10 mens feet.  Sigh...

And not to leave Drew out....how is it that he is needing new shoes, again, didn't we just get him a pair 3 months ago?  How can those 11-11.5 feet be growing so fast?

My heart is full for these boys as I wash and fold their clothes.  As I look at them as they take up more and more space in our house...literal SPACE.

Sigh....

Help Me Find It

Starting my day with some truth and music...

One of those days

Somedays require reminders of truth...

...hamburgers and root beer floats

...and pajamas before 7:00 pm. 

Love this boy

Tommy had braces on again for the past few months. (Lesson in wearing your retainer) He got then off last Friday early in the morning. Fun to see his smile without metal.

Sunday we went tux shopping for prom.  Hard to believe.  He settled on the red.  Ebby's dress is black and white. 

With this tux...

Love this boy...

Hard Days

Some days are HARD...just HARD.

I don't know how people live without the promise of Jesus and the plan that has been set for us.  I don't know how you can live without trusting in heaven.  No pain, no suffering, no sadness, no illness..

I believe God has better plans than my own, I trust in Him.

On a day where I would prefer to climb back in bed, and under the covers and hide from the world I am going to choose to CLAIM His promises today!

And cancer sucks by the way....

And the smell of rotten milk in my car is not helping either...

Keeping it Real: Parenting is HARD

Parenting is HARD, it isn't for the light hearted or weak minded.  Parenting is NOT always joyful.  Parenting is heart wrenching sometimes.  We pray and pray and pray for our boys, and sometimes it doesn't feel like it's enough.  But God asks us to come to Him for direction.  He is the ultimate parent.  I have been looking through scriptures last night and today for direction, comfort and leadership...here are some that I have found.

Proverbs 14:26

"He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge."

Proverbs 22:6

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

Matthew 18:12-13

"What do you think?  If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?  And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off."

Ephesians 6:4

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

James 1:2-3

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."

3 John 1:4 

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

(one of my ALL time favorites)

Micah 6:8

"And what does the Lord require of YOU? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

There are times in this parenting journey where we need help, wise counsel, people to step in...we have been doing that.  We continue to...we have friends who have stepped in when we have needed them.  We are so grateful.  There are dear friends praying.  I have been crying a lot.   We love these boys DEEPLY.  We care about the men they become.  We care that their relationship with Jesus is THEIR OWN and not ours.  We pray for deep roots in faith.  

I know we are not alone in this journey of parenting.  Just keeping it real today....

Pigs...and more pigs...3000 pigs

Monday my college girlfriend Niki came down for her annual spring break to Iowa trip...this time she went to our friend Lisa's house first.  Lisa lives on a farm near Newton about an hour from our house. They recently built a new house on the farm and knocked down their old farmhouse...so she has space to entertain.  Not only IN her house but of course outside.  Our boys LOVED the farm, Niki's kids LOVED the farm.  We headed there Monday after school for dinner with everyone...but Tommy who had golf back here.

After dinner the kids were outside playing, checking out the chickens, the four wheelers...messing around.  We learned that 3000 pigs (hogs) were being delivered on Tuesday to the farm.  David, Lisa's husband, asked if Drew could stay and help with the unloading.  They have a son, Holden, the same age.  At first it was kind of a joke, or so I thought...but then I learned no he really DID want help and Drew thought it sounded fun.  Niki's kids were super excited as well.  Jack didn't want to miss it, nor did Max.  So I ended up leaving Drew there to spend the night on the farm.  I head home with Jack and Max....

Jack went to school on Tuesday morning and then I picked him up to go and see those piggies.

Oh my goodness, pigs are LOUD....I did NOT know that.  And they smell and I mean REALLY SMELL...BAD!  The hogs are about 4 miles from their farm so they don't get to endure that smell every day.  Yikes.

But WHAT an amazing experience for our kids!  All of them, but Tommy and Caleb, both sophomores in high school....got to experience it.

Drew, Holden, Jack and Zach stayed the longest to help.  The rest of us got out of the smell after about 20 minutes.  The rest unloaded and made sure 136 per pen.

Later that evening we all met back in Waukee at our house, Niki and kids spent the night, Lisa and kids came for dinner.  We couldn't get over how very blessed we are...11 children between us.  3 happy and healthy marriages.  Friendship that spans over 23 years.  Children that LOVE being together and get along SO well with each other.

This is how the ages lined up.  It was cute we asked the kids to get in line by age, they were all asking each other their birthdays.  We have 4 sets of kids that are very close in age.

Tommy (16), Caleb Jansen (16), Drew (14), Holden Jansen (14), Katie Eisenmann (almost 14), Jack (11), Nate Eisenmann (11), Korinne Jansen (11), Zach Eisenmann (8), Megan Eisenmann (5), Max (4)

Lisa. me and Niki