Church Shopping - Go with your Gut!!! (Sorry, long post)

So, we've known for sometime that we'd be relocating to the Fort McCoy area. So, I've been shopping on-line for churches and had a couple in mind. So, were were in LaCrosse this past weekend and decided to try out a church. So, I was looking on mapqest to find were the churches were and the church I really wanted to go to seemed too far away, so I went with my second choice....bad choice!!
First off let me back up and say how much we love our current church, River Valley Church in Apple Valley, its amazing. Tom and I have both grown spiritually in the past four years, the preaching is bible bases and Pastor Rob has the power to "reel you in" and make the message apply to you and then there is the Praise and Worship. Growing up Baptist I had never experienced anything so powerful as Raising my hands in worship....awesome!! I will miss everything about our church and trying to find what we have at River Valley is going to be a very difficult task.
Okay, so we go to this church (Sorry, I won't name it)and it is a beautiful building but you walking inside and it was cold. There was no one to greet you at the door or point out where children go. So, me being a mom, I asked one of the other mother's were the nursery was. I was told that the kids stay for praise and worship and then they go downstairs. This was an instant turn off for me because how can I worship and have one on one time with God and my church family if I'm chasing after two boys. So, we sit, try to sing but again, that is kind of hard when watching the boys. Worship was okay, but we found it odd that we didn't know one song!! Then the weird stuff started to happen. Speaking in tongues and flag waving....yes I said flag waving!! The pastor was up front and going back and forth between two different flags. I tried to picture Pastor Rob in my head running all over the front of the church waving flags...
So 3/4 way through worship (total of about 45 minutes) I left my poor husband while I took the boys into foyer because they were being too loud. Finally the kids started heading downstairs to their classroom. Tom and I took both boys and got them all settled and they went back up stairs. They had a guess speaker and I heard about how wonderful his way and how he had healed people all over the world. Right then and there I knew we were in trouble. Long story short, he had an invitational for healing at the end of service. He said that the Lord had spoke to him and that there were many people with neck and back problem (Hello....doesn't everyone!!!) So, about 30 people went forward and he asked other members of the church to come and lay hands on these people and they prayed!! After the prayers he asked if anyone felt a warming sensation because that meant that God had healed them. Nine people raised their hands. He then said that God spoke to him and that 9 people would be healed today. Tom and I just looked at each other and Tom asked if we should go and get the boys and we did. The service at that point was over 2 hours long and they were still going.
We know that this church wasn't for us. It was so fake and at times it was hard for me not to laugh. So, we will continue to search and pray that we find a church home that will meet our families needs.

Old Brown Lazy-Boy Chair

So, Thomas is gone and anytime he's not home, I just don't sleep as well. Kevin thinks it a huge treat when Dad is gone because I let him sleep in bed with me....I'm not sure why I do this because I don't sleep well with him in bed. So, I'm sleeping and I heard Matt on the baby monitor, so I go down stairs, put his binki back in and give him a few pats and he's back to sleep. Of course then I'm not tired, so I trow in a load of laundry and then watch a little TV and then next thing I know, its 3am. So, instead of going back to bed I decided to grab my blankie and take a nap in the Old Brown Lazy-Boy Chair. I don't get to sit in the chair that often because Thomas is always in it. I spend the few month of my pregnancy with Kevin sleeping in that chair because I couldn't sleep in our bed. So, I got all comfy and fell asleep right away and woke up at 5:30 and I felt awesome. So, I guess the next time I can't sleep, I'll go downstairs and sleep in the Old Brown Lazy-Boy Big Man Rocker!!!

My baby starts High School

On Saturday, we receive all of Makenna's paperwork for her freshman year of High School!! This just doesn't seem right!! She was a curly haired baby just a few years ago and now she's in High School. I think this scares me because I know what I did in High School and I can't even imagine my daughter doing those things. I remember my BFF Jeanell and I hangin' out at the mall, cruzin' in the Dodge, checking out SB's and SBBBB....and because she's my daughter, I can't totally see her doing the same thing...Scary!!! Last year was a really hard year for Makenna and I know this year is going to be better. I hope the next for year go well for KJ because I'm going to blink and I'll be sending her off to college.....

Happy Anniversary

Today Thomas and I celebrate 8 years of marriage, what a crazy ride its been, some days are good, some days aren't so good but I'm so thankful to have him by my side! Year #8 will bring a move from Minnesota to Wisconsin and two new jobs. We are already feeling the stress of moving but know that things will be better because always provides!!
So, to my dear sweet husband, if you are reading this....
I love you, thank you for loving me when I don't make it easy for you. Can't imagine life without you!!! ILYMTYEK.....C

Don't brush your teeth at 1:30am

So, if you read my last post, I was up late last night but before I went to bed, I went to brush my teeth. I was so tired that some how I jammed my tooth brush into my upper gum and made myself bleed. When I woke up this morning, my gums were very sore and I looked in the mirror an have a bruise above my teeth. I'm not so graceful in the early morning hours!!

My Sweet Little Kevin

Kevin is the sweetest and loving little boy!! He has very good manners and always says, "please and thank you" but not the normal way, he'll say, "Oh, thank you, Mommy, you are the best mommy ever". So, of course, I eat that up.

So, this morning on our way into work I turned down the radio and say, "Kevin, I love you". He then told me that I said it all wrong and should have said, "Kevin, I love you more then all the tea in China". So, I told him that I loved him more then all the tea in China and he then told me that he loved me too.

Then I told him that my Grandmother use to tell me that all the time when I was a little girl. He asked me my Grandma's name and I told him, Granny Mo. I then told him that she died and now lives in Heaven but I loved her very much. Then he told me that he also loved her very much. I said, "Kevin, but you didn't even know her". He he said, "But, I still love her". Out of the mouth of Babes he brought a tear to my eye.

I love you Kevin, more then all the tea in China!!

It's 1am, guess what I'm doing?

If you know me well...you know what I'm doing at 1am. You guessed it....I'm baking! Thomas is hosting a conference for about 24 people and he needed an am snack and a pm snack. He was going to go and buy stuff and I volunteer myself to make both. In retrospect, I should have just let him buy the stuff. But, this meeting is with all Thomas new employee's. His staff is flying in from Seattle, Salt Lake, Wichita and Kansas City...so, I thought I would impress them with some mouth-watering goodies. For the am snack, I made a cinnamon coffee cake and for the pm snack, I made rolled out sugar cookies, with all different patriot shapes.

I'm all done, my kitchen is clean and now I'm not sleepy and I have to get up in four hours....I'll be tired tomorrow!

I have to say when I'm up all night baking, I find it very relaxing!! Baking is my background, its kind of like going home! I think about my baking teacher and the wonderful relationship we shared. I'm thankful that even 16 later Erhard and I remain friends. Since everyone is sleeping in their beds, my mind wonders, mainly about the future. Makenna was helping me earlier and I was telling her that I want to know some of her favorite things that I make so when are grown and come home and they'll ask me to cook or bake their favorite goodie or dish. I found out that Makenna's very favorite thing I make is Clam Chowder ("with corn, Mom"). So, next week, I think I'll surprise her a make it. I think about the boys, will they have a favorite food? I love that when we go home Tom's mom will make Beef Stroganoff, its his favorite and she knows it. I thought a lot tonight about our upcoming move. All the hard work we've done as a family. And, now I think I'm really tired and need to go to bed....