Partied (now pooped)

• Last week: We had a little bit of snow on President's Day and somewhat normal week up until Aolani's sixth birthday on Thursday. She got to pick all the food that day. I had a friend come over and bake her cake of choice on Friday before Ricky's dad and brother came to visit and celebrate :) We did cake/ice cream and presents that night. The next day we did two fun outings of her choice -- the new, accessible park and an inflatable play place for kids. The kids were exhausted then! The next day, we had home church, visited Whole Foods, attempted entering our storage unit, and made it to half of small group. And we're still tired.

On her actual birthday, we ate her favorite pizza and watched her favorite movie, Sleeping Beauty.

She asked for a mango cake and pink ice cream

Sleeping Beauty's Castle (yes, she requested the Duplo set versus Legos because she wanted to use them along with her Cinderella and Ariel sets!)

A Nerf Crossbow

At the park

At an inflatable play place for kids

Hopscotch = our school phys ed one day :)

• School verse: Isaiah 9:6 ~ U -- Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
• Verse to memorize this week: 2 Corinthians 3:8-9 ~ will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

Thank God

- an encouraging, powerful quote that our pastor shared at church recently:

A Turkestan brother's response in his interview with David Garrison in A Wind in the House of Islam “Don’t worry,” he said. “We are rejoicing in Christ. We have a saying, ‘When you are persecuted, thank God that you have not been thrown into prison. If you have been thrown into prison, thank God that you have not been beaten. If you have been beaten, thank God that you have not been killed.’” He paused and smiled again, “And if you have been killed, thank God that you are with Him in heaven.”

- there are weekly petitions you can sign to help stand with our persecuted brethren through International Christian Concern.

Experience, The Teacher

• Last week was all the normal plus Ricky working out of county twice, a friend joining us one evening, and Valentine's Day (we didn't go out but shared the evening together after kids went to bed with roses and an in-house massage ;) ). 
• Aolani has a wardrobe bar screwed to the wall for her hanging clothes. I guess she thought it was a jungle gym and pulled it with wall chunks off the wall one night! Live and learn.

Cotton ball race ;)

Aolani won both times

• School verse: Proverbs 3:5-6 ~ T -- Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your path.
• Verse to memorize this week: 2 Corinthians 3:7 ~ Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was,

Striking at the Root

"All God's plans have the mark of the cross on them, and all His plans have death to self in them."  ~ E.M. Bounds

"The Blood deals with what we have done, whereas the Cross deals with what we are. The Blood disposes of our sins, while the Cross strikes at the root of our capacity for sin."  ~ Watchman Nee

Lent has begun. As people of the cross, I love taking this time to reflect and show solidarity to the cross. After much pondering, nothing came to mind that I felt like I should/need to give up this season. So, we decided to take up doing a short workout every night, no matter how tired or what time it is. I guess it is more of a Lent from making excuses why we should skip doing it ;)

Weaving Through

• Last week held much of the normal (kids' art class, friends/helpers visiting, pizza/movie night, church) and some extra! We had an old friend come stay with us for four nights, visited a new wheelchair-friendly playground (I could go up to the top level even), and hosted a small Super Bowl party (with lots of food and movies for our kids!).

Putting on the armor of God ;)

• School verse: Matthew 6:33 ~ S -- Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
• Verse to memorize this week: 2 Corinthians 3:6 ~ He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Just Another Imperfect Mom

Trying to deal with all of the ugliness in myself that my children bring out...

Always feeling like an absolute failure as a wife and mother...

At least I am parenting wholeheartedly versus perfectly... as

"There is no way to be a perfect mother but a million ways to be a good one." :) I might would say grace-filled though ;)

Reading parenting quotes on Pinterest -- so good, so true, so funny!

Started this great book Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe, just what I need to read right now!

Beyond thankful for the hope, rest, and victory Jesus has and calls me to receive!!

Fluffy Clouds, Sweet Girls, and Little Men

•  While most of the week was pretty normal, we have put our guest bed to good use! A friend came to visit one night and we had a few days with no guests before my parents came for two nights. We worked hard and finished arranging and decorating the bedroom (see brief video tour below)! Yay; we all love it! We also had our pizza/movie night, church, and small group. Then, another friend/guest arrived :) On top of all of it, Ricky got very little sleep and pulled some all-nighters working on transcript deadlines :(
• Micaiah often exclaims to me, "We have a beautiful home!" (Awww... makes it worth it, right?!)

Naps with Papa

Sword, chainsaw, battle-axe, T-rex... my little man ;)

Aolani's cousin gave Aolani her old scooter

Taking Sarah for a stroll

Early birthday gift from my parents

Playing with neighbors

• School verse: Exodus 20:8-10 ~ R -- Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.
• Verse to memorize this week: 2 Corinthians 3:5 ~ Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

Aolani's Baptism {video}

Here is what we have collected from Aolani's baptism in August 2015. We got the intro and actual baptism part, but we unfortunately missed recording her salvation story which was shared in the middle!

Let It Snow!

• Last week -- we babysat our neighbor kids one evening; Ricky worked out-of-county all week; Aolani did a lot of cooking (lunches, dinners, and her first pizza); and, we enjoyed two snow days, totaling 4-6" of snow :) We skipped schooling one day, and they went sledding (we got them two cheap, plastic sleds this year -- no more trash lid) and played outdoors both days. Aolani baked pumpkin muffins and made tea to celebrate the snow! [I didn't venture outdoors in it.] The kids love the snow and can't wait for more; it's sad to them to see it disappearing.

Spelling with papaya seeds

Reading a board book for the fam

Amidst all the toys, she is having lunch at a restaurant (complete with heart-shaped cardboard cookies and clear glue to drink)

Backyard snow angels

Pure bliss

with a neighbor kid

• School verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:19 ~ Q -- Quench not the Spirit. 
• Verse to memorize this week: 2 Corinthians 3:4 ~ Such confidence we have through Christ before God.

May I, May We, May All

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in You...  ~ Psalm 40:16a

I was quoting this the other day and had to pause right after the "But may all who seek You" due to some interruption. God-given interruption. [Aren't they all?] Anyway, when I got back to it and tried to remember where I had left off, I started the verse again "But may all who seek You"... Wait! That's me -- I seek You! And suddenly, I was like "But may Aidan..." what? What? Rejoice and be glad. Not may she take it easy or be comfortable or do this or that.

I am simply to rejoice and be glad in God. And that is totally outside the circumstantial realm. Rejoice and be glad in God no matter what what lies before me or I'm facing.

Growth Bringing Change

• Two weeks ago my mom came to visit and help for the week the day after Ricky's mom flew home. I had several projects that I wanted to work on at the start of the year. So, we put off starting school back for another week (making it a seven-week break!). After finishing unpacking and undecorating and other odds and ends, we began the big projects -- rearranging the entire bedroom and moving Aolani to the top bunk of their bed :) It was a lot of work. There are still two more things to put up, so I will take a picture when that's done at the end of the month. Now, we have a kid side and our side of the room ;) The new bunk bed sleeping arrangement... Micaiah is a little lonely but still happy and Aolani just loves it! She feels so big with her own reading light and going up and down the steps; we practiced drills her getting down to go potty (she wakes once most every night and I needed to make sure she could do this safely while drowsy). Again, pictures to come. We did get to relax most nights. We had a friend over for dinner and a game one evening, and we got to teach my mom a new addictive game that Ricky's brother gifted to us -- Caverna. After my mom left, we had a normal weekend with pizza/movie night, church, and small group.
• Last week -- We had all our normal activities and help. We had a new cleaning lady come and hope she will continue. Jumped back into schooling, and it took them the week to get back in the groove. Ricky had a test for higher certification regarding his job in another city on Saturday. One thing the kids and I did during that time was look at their baby pictures on the computer; they enjoyed this :)
• During the month, I unveiled my first two gray hairs ;)
• Micaiah's mishaps: calls anything he doesn't want 'horrible'; calls his private area 'privacy' and 'peeny'; told me that his friends need to "ask for permission" from him before playing with his toys; beginning to go over the alphabet with him; follows us girls around and loves to help us!
• Aolani's antics: made dinner with me one night last week and did so well that we are now making most meals that don't require chopping and are relatively simple (she cracks and cooks our egg whites, uses the stove top below medium heat, measures, bakes... all with me and her chair in tow -- the fruit of obedience is evident here!); she loves helping me around the house and in the kitchen :) 
• Both kids have begun to help me unload the dishwasher for Daddy just this week -- yay! They are getting older -- happy sad...

Homemade playdough snowmen

Aolani's very first haircut (her desire) 

So mature!

• School verse: Ephesians 6:11 ~ P -- Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
• Verse to memorize this week: 2 Corinthians 3:3 ~ You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Symptometry Update (after two years)

I've been meaning to write this for months now!

In a nutshell I experienced a lot of health improvements the first year on Symptometry. While it has been a very stagnant second year for me with no real improvement, I have retained the majority of the previous year's improvements (as long as I continue on particulates paired with the diet of course), which is noteworthy. I do not want those symptoms back! Twice I went without particulates for several weeks, and symptoms would return. Then, it would take several more weeks on particulates just to get those symptoms to disappear again. Clearly, my body likes particulates.

Further, we do not have any plans to give up the diet part, as we both have several reasons and benefits for continuing it.

Ricky had blood work a year and a half ago, and he had four red flags. He had a few outward symptoms that alerted him to possible underlying health problems. He took particulates for six months, then just maintained on the diet for nine months before getting his blood checked. When he did last autumn, all four symptoms had been completely resolved :)

Ricky had normal problems though. Genetics are another beast entirely because problems are on a chromosomal level, and I have had deadened nerves and cells for many years that have been deprived of vital necessities since birth. While Symptometry supplies my cells with all they need to revitalize, it is completely up to my cells to respond. We are praying for my cells to pick up again but we know that I am in God's Hands!

Anyway, we do not feel as if God has released us yet from Symptometry -- so we are not quitting. We are totally unsure of God's intentions or plans or will for calling us to this. We have many speculations as to the whys. But, they are just thoughts and guesses.

We like Symptometry, but our first and foremost (no comparison) desire is to follow God each day -- to love, seek, worship, glorify, focus on, and trust Him more.