Visual Lesson

So, I talked yesterday about waiting. I mentioned how hard it is for me and how impatient I am in the midst.

Today, God chose to give me a little lesson on how I handle waiting.

I needed it. It has centered me. It has made me realize how much I don't trust in the waiting.

Isaiah is a challenging little guy. I love him. I wouldn't trade him. He challenges me.

He is VERY IMPATIENT!!

This morning is the perfect example. From the minute he saw me, he began asking for breakfast.

I kept telling him to wait. You see, he didn't know that I was planning to meet a friend at Chick-fil-a and that we would have breakfast there.

I didn't want to tell him because I hadn't confirmed the meeting.

I have learned to NEVER tell him something unless I am absolutely sure that it will happen. If plans he is counting on fall apart, he falls apart. It is not pretty or enjoyable.

So, between the time I saw him and got downstairs to the kitchen, he had asked at least 5 times about breakfast.

The fifth time I said to him,"Isaiah, I. just. need. you. to. wait!" it hit me.

He didn't know what I had planned. He didn't know that I had a better breakfast for him than the cereal he was asking for. He wasn't trusting me.

That is totally how I am with God. I have no idea what He is up to. I don't know the big picture for my life. I just know what I want, and I want it now!

I couldn't reveal my plan to Isaiah until I confirmed it. I didn't want to tease him by telling him we were going to Chick-fil-a and then say, "Oh, wait, never mind. It is not going to work today."

I know the analogy breaks down a bit here because God is not surprised by anything, but He does know the whole plan. He knows the right timing for everything. He has my best interest in mind.

I have to trust. I have to relinquish control. I have to WAIT on Him.

How can I wait in such a way that is glorifying to God? That is what I am trying to do today.

I put this verse on our marker board for the kids last week, and now I am realizing it is just as much for me:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

Lean not on your own understanding,

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will direct your path.

Proverbs 3:5-6

That is what I am choosing to do today.

Trusting and acknowledging HIM!!

Waiting

God has told us "wait" a lot over the last 18 months.

Do you know how much I hate waiting?

I really like control. I like to plan. I like to know what is happening. I like to be prepared. It brings comfort to me.

I am having to give that over to God on almost a minute-by-minute basis this week.

We have been told to wait for lots of different reasons over the last 18 months.

Some of the waiting is over, and I can totally see God's Hand in it all.

Some things are not complete.

This weekend at the retreat, this is what He said to me:

I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the LORD.

Psalm27:13-14

Guess what I am doing today?

Women's Retreat and Reentry

My weekend away was really good. Instead of staying at the women's retreat and risking not getting good sleep and coming back home exhausted, I found a deal at my favorite little getaway hotel and stayed there instead. So, for only a few dollars more, I was able to be a part of the women's retreat but also rest, and have some much needed alone time. The hotel was only 10 minutes away. It really was perfect for me!

I did not take many pictures. I just wanted to fully enjoy the weekend. One of the really great things about the retreat was getting some time with some of my life group friends. My hotel deal came with a dinner voucher. So, 3 of us met before the retreat for a yummy dinner.

Elaina did such an amazing job leading worship all weekend.

She is so talented and led us straight to God in worship.

Comfy couch talk

That's it. That's all the pics I took. I don't regret it. I just needed to rest this weekend. (Resting was actually the theme of the retreat.) There are quite a few pics on Facebook that others have taken. You have to check out the videos of Melissa Janish doing her stand-up comedy routine. She was so funny.

Jen, the speaker, was really good about giving us tools to really soak in God's Word. It was good, so good.

Now, I am home. I went to bed at 7:30(it was really 6:30) last night. I feel like my sickness is over. Laila is not feeling well today, and Cody came home early from school. I went to the grocery, and now I am working on getting our house back in order.

We have been without cable for a little over a month. I must admit, I miss it, deeply. I love being able to watch shows while I am working in the kitchen. I spend a lot of time in there. Having the TV makes it much more bearable. TV is one of my favorite ways to relax. Rick and I have several shows we like to watch after the kids go to bed at night.

While I was gone this weekend, Rick signed us up for Netflix. Isaiah, Laila, and I have loved watching some of the older VeggieTales today. We watched "Rack, Shack, and Benny," "Madame Blueberry," and "Dave and the Giant Pickle." They haven't seen these because we don't have them on DVD. They are from our VHS days. I am bit discouraged about my efforts with Isaiah's character after watching the first two.

First, let me say, they changed "The Bunny Song." It's not nearly as powerful as it used to be. I do understand they didn't want kids saying, "I won't love my mom or my dad, just the bunny." Now it says, "I won't eat my soup or my bread." When it came time to sing the song in the movie, I asked Isaiah, "What do you think they should do?" He said, "I think they should sing the song." Really? I tried to explain to him why they shouldn't, but he didn't see any reason to risk being thrown in the fire over a little song about eating certain foods.

Then, during "Madame Blueberry" I said, "She thinks all that stuff is going to make her happy." Isaiah said, "Stuff makes me happy." I said, "We should find our happiness in God." Isaiah's response was, "No, God doesn't make me happy like stuff does."

Wow, I have a lot of work to do. We are now watching "Dave and the Giant Pickle." Hopefully he will grasp the lesson that "little guys can do big things, too." I need a victory today with at least one of these lessons.

Wasn't Sure If I Would Make It!

On Sunday, when I looked at this week and all that was planned leading to today, I just wanted to hide under the covers and not come out until today!!

Little did I know then, that I would end up with a child in a cast, being sick myself with a nasty cold that has settled in my sinues and another child fighting to breathe before the week's end on top of everything else I was already overwhelmed by.

I wasn't sure I was going to make it.

But, guess what? I did. I REALLY DID!!

Lauren has met the challenges and figured out how to function with her cast.

Isaiah seems to be out of the woods with his breathing. I feel like he turned a corner in the middle of the night last night. I was trying to get him past that point before I leave for this retreat!

The last thing Rick needs this weekend is to have to take him to the ER while also caring for the other 5 children.

I feel like I have turned a corner, too with my sickness. It is not over, but knowing that I will get some really good rest this weekend encourages me.

This verse has been a source of great comfort this week since I read it from my friend, Courtney's blog. God is up to something. It has been an 18-month process, but He is still working. This verse reminded me of that:

"Watch closely, I am preparing something new;

it's happening now, even as I speak,

and you're about to see it. I am preparing a way

through the desert;

Waters will flow where there had been none."

Isaiah 43:19

Today, I am getting ready for a women's retreat. It is going to be the perfect balance for me of teaching/interacting/seeking God time. I will be getting some really good time with other women but also some really lengthy time alone with God. I am so excited!!

For now, I am finishing up a few things around the house and packing. The kids have a half day at school. When I pick them up, we are going to get cupcakes!! Then, after I drop Cody off at wrestling practice, I will have almost 48 glorious hours(wait, make that 47, I am getting robbed of one with the time change) away to rest, refresh, and relate to others and God.

I am excited to hear from God. I am excited to seek Him. I am excited to get away. I am excited to rest!!

So Much To Say, So Little Time To Say It

What a week it has been . It is only Wednesday, but I feel like it should be Sunday of next week. My days have been full with some expected stuff, but several unexpected things. I think I should declare last week and this week "Hair Weeks" for the Clapp family. As you know, Laila had her hair rebraided. Then on Sunday, Cody decided he was ready to go short again. He has had longer hair for at least 3 years, maybe longer. I was nervous because I didn't know how he would respond if he didn't like it. This boy's hair is thick like nobody's business. I knew it would make it easier on him during wrestling season and this summer when it is warm. Here are the before pics:

Front View

Back View

Here are the after pics: (He looks very unhappy, but he isn't. He just wants to look older, and I think he does!)

Front View

Back View

He is loving the wash and wear, wake up and wear, low-maintenance hairstyle. I am so glad he is happy with it!!

Next on the hair agenda was Isaiah. Earlier in the week, in reference to his hair, he said, "I thought it was a good idea, but now I don't think it is such a good idea." He and I were both weary of the process of locking his dreads. I think also at this age, he is too rough on it. It was fuzzy and coming out all the time. I also couldn't stand letting it look so bad which is kind of a necessary part of the process from what I have been told. So, on Sunday, Rick shaved it off.

He is so much happier with it this way, and so am I!! Now, I don't have to spend 1 1/2 hours every Saturday working on his hair. He looks good! On Thursday, I am scheduled for a haircut and highlights! Rick also got a cut this week.

On Saturday, the girls decided to make a beach for me. They know how weary I get this time of year with the snow and cold weather. They brought the beach to me. They set up the ocean with a blue blanket and the sand with a brown one. They gave me a "palm" tree to lay under, brought in the ocean sounds with a sound machine, shined the light on me for the sun, and made me a refreshing drink with a lemon on the glass.

Here I am laying out on the sand under my blanket(our house was cold)

with flip flops on and wearing my sunglasses!

Lauren swimming in the ocean

Lauren surfing

Abby surfing

I was having a picnic lunch while Laila swam in the ocean

Laila and Isaiah surfing

The kids had a blast pretending. When I was typing this blog post, Laila saw the pictures and said, "When can we do that again? That was fun!"

Monday brought more adventures and challenges to our family. About a week ago, Lauren hurt her foot, but she doesn't remember how. She just started complaining of her big toe hurting. Well, over about a week's time, the pain began to worsen and move up her foot. After a weekend of much hurting and complaining, we decided I should take her in to see a doctor. I got her in on Monday. Who knew that adding that one element to my schedule would result in about 10 phone calls to get everyone else where they needed to be after school that day. Let me just say, it does take a village to raise a child, or least to raise 6 kids. I could not have done it without the help of friends!!

It was not fractured, thankfully, but the doctor could feel some ligament damage that needs time to heal. This is what happened next:

I think she is a little bit excited about having a cast!

Laila was so sweet to her the whole time.

She said, "I know it hurts, sweetie."

Presh!

Sawing to give her toes breathing room

Laila does not like the noise of the saw

Soccer cast with a lovely walking boot

Did I mention that soccer season started this week?

Not sure about that one.

Walking Cast for 2 weeks, then we will see how it is doing.

We will make the soccer call at that point!

That only gets us through Monday. I don't even want to tell you how traumatized I was about trying to get to Cody's wrestling match at Ft. Carson yesterday. Let's just say, both of my GPS's were wrong multiple times. They led me to a college, a shooting range, and a KFC. I had 5 children in the vehicle with me trying to give me directions, needing to go to the bathroom and feeling hungry. We arrived at the match an hour late. All of that, but we didn't miss Cody's duel!! He didn't win, but he also didn't get pinned. He fought well through the whole 3 minutes. I was so proud of him!!

Oh, and I have yucky cold. This weekend can't get here soon enough. Did I mention I am going on a women's retreat?!? Oh, yes, I am!

Birthday Boy

Rick's 41st bday was on Monday this week. After our big hoopla of "40 Days of Blessings" last year, we kept this year pretty low-key. On Sunday night we sang "Happy Birthday" and had one of his favorite desserts, strawberry pretzel salad, as a life group.

Throughout the week various friends gave him Birthday wishes on Facebook and had special Birthday gifts or took him out to eat. The really sad part is that he hasn't felt that great all week. His stomach has been not quite right and he hasn't been able to fully enjoy the yummy treats.

We had a family dinner on his bday:

Chicken Parmesan, Cheesy Potatoes, Green Beans and Dinner Rolls and Sweet Tea

For his gift, he got a "Bucket O' Blessings"

It included cards with cash from his mom and my parents.

It also included some of his favorite treats and snacks for him to have at work.

For dessert we had yellow cupcakes with chocolate icing and his favorite

Blue Bell Ice Cream, Chocolate Almond Marshmallow

Lauren made the cross necklace for him that he is wearing.

WE LOVE DADDY!!

Children are a heritage from the LORD,
offspring a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.

Psalm 127:3-5a

I would say he is a pretty blessed man. I know that we are blessed to call him husband and daddy.

I love you, Rick. I pray for many more Birthdays to celebrate you!!

Check it out!!!

I have a great opportunity that I want to share with you.

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Go here to read all about it. Mandy explains it way better than I could.

I love Mandy, and I can't wait for her to bring me those enchiladas and guacamole I entered for.

I am also excited about the possibility of a photo shoot for my family and a massage for me.

More than anything, though, I believe in what this money is going to. I believe in this organization and the people who run it.

They have integrity and they love Jesus and they are all about empowering people.

So, let's help Mandy go above and beyond her goal. Let's all work together to give others what we take for granted every day!!

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