my new blog!

Check out my new blog: stories from this urban church (http://thisurbanchurch.blogspot.com/)

This blog is our stories and experiences at Brookside Community Church. This is really where our hearts and minds are, so if you really want to know what I am up to - that's the place to go.

If you still want to see pictures of and stories about my adorable children, then kristin 'n boys is the place to be. (Accompanied by my complaints and other ideas, too.)

Love you all!

What Happened to my Summer?

September is just a few days away, and I am trying to cram an entire summer's worth of activities into a few short weeks. Summer did not happen at our house this year. We spent over a month inside our house, surviving, not killing each other. I layed on the couch while the boys played together. I would make sure they were ok when they were either too loud (crying) or too quiet (causing mischief).

In July, Benjamin and I were hit with a virus unlike anything else I've ever had. Sure, it was just a fever, cold, and sinus infection, so it seems like I should have been able to carry on and function somewhat normally. Wrong! It knocked me down and kept me there for weeks! The pain in my head was so bad it often brought me to tears and required me to keep a bag of frozen peas on my head for hours and hours each day to numb the pain. Thankfully Benjamin was given antibiotics that cleared him up much more quickly. I am still working on the sore throat and cough, over 6 weeks later.
I have heard from so many people this summer that got the same thing (including my sister-in-law and nephew who got it at the same time as we did). This thing was nasty, nasty, nasty, and I hope to never get it again.

So now we are busy fitting the zoo, children's museum, parks, friends, gym, and church into the last few weeks that we have before we move on to the next season.

Florida with my fam

Our villa on the beach

The view from our porch

Mom and Dad
Swimming at sunset was the best!

My brother and sister-in-law

My sister

My beautiful niece

My nephew

with BeeGee

first meal

We ate our first meal with veggies from the garden last week. It was so incredible to eat something that my hands helped create. We had spinach, lettuce, and radishes. As you can see, there wasn't a ton yet, so I supplemented the lettuce.

Need to eat your veggies?

Here is a great and easy way to get those vegetables into your system: vegetable jambalaya. I made it last Friday morning for dinner that night, and I had a hard time staying away from it all day. It is so good! If you have a food processor for dicing the vegetables, it really isn't much work. I don't know how well it freezes, but I have 3 containers of it in the freezer, so I will find out. This recipe makes an entire large pot full of healthy dinner. OE even ate it without too much complaint.

Check it out!

http://www.gumbopages.com/food/veg/veg-jambalaya.html

Easter and the Outdoors

The Easter Bunny visited our house for the first time this year. To make up for the other 2 Easters which she missed due to laziness, she bought an extra special present for OE - his favorite movie Cars. He was very excited!BeeGee was equally excited for his Easter basket of goodies that Mom and Dad had to eat for him.
BeeGee got his first car in honor of his daddy who gave up his car just like this one for a more reasonable family car.
OE took his time eating his jellybeans. First he lined them up. Then, each one had a conversation with the others before he ate it.
Today was a beautiful day outside. OE is pretty good at riding his scooter now.
BeeGee was just chillin' in his onsie.

The world is alive

My recovery from the pregnancy with BeeGee has been much harder than it was with OE. I had been in a fog and mildly depressed since he was born. For a while I assumed that it was due to lack of sleep, but reconsidered once BeeGee had been sleeping through the night for 2 months. Thankfully, my doctor discovered that my thyroid count was way off. Over the last month I have been slowly coming out of the funk and should be back to normal once we find the right amount of meds.

Gardening has become my hobby and therapy. Spring is such an amazing time; the world is coming back to life after the cold dead winter - much like myself. Which each new flower that opens up I feel like I regain one more piece of my self, the person I once was. Each warm breeze reminds me of God's words:
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-34

pajama party

spring joy

The first fruits of my labor last fall are popping up. This brings me pure joy!

Married mother of 2 seeks grocery shopping in peace

I have been out of the dating world for a long time - it has been about 8 years since J and I have been together, but lately I've been shown a glimpse of the new pick up scene: the grocery store. Since BeeGee was born, I have had three men try to talk to me there*. Of course, I am dressed to impress when I go shopping: Tennis shoes, jeans, sweatshirt, headband, no make up, and list in hand.

It is possible that this is not a new way of meeting that special someone, but perhaps a method used by people 30 and older. After all, my roommate in college (who was often mistaken for being older) had a gentleman offer to buy her groceries for her. I keep hoping for that to happen to me, in which I would gladly accept, but by the time my cart is loaded with diapers and fruit snacks the men just aren't as friendly anymore.

The most recent man used what I believe would be the equivalent to "Do you come here often?" at a bar. I was shopping for fruit and the man asked me, "So, you eat organic too, huh?"

I am not sure why the sudden interest; after all, I don't ask for male attention and I've never received much of it before. I am wondering if it could be the new hair color...Perhaps Elisha has made me too sexy? (She does a fantastic job - everyone should go see her at Splash.)

I am going to leave you with some ridiculous pick up lines that I thought of for use at the grocery store. I would love to hear of any that you come up with too! (keep it clean!)

"That meal says it's for two - what time should I be over?"
"This milk is going to expire soon. Want to help me use it up - on our breakfast cereal?"
"I have a great recipe - for love."

*I must make a disclaimer for all of you outraged at men hitting on a married woman - I cannot wear my wedding ring because of a really bad case of eczema on my ring finger (no other finger, go figure).

My cuties

The World According to BeeGee

Mom = food and comfort

Dad = fun and silliness

Big Brother OE = EVERYTHING
being upside-down is pretty cool toooh, and the exersaucer

Our Journey to Brookside

Last night on our way home from the Wednesday night Bible study at Brookside, J and I were celebrating the long and intricate journey in which God led us to Brookside. We don't know if Brookside is the end of the journey, or just another wonderful stop along the way, but we are loving it! I would like to share it with you.

After college, before J and I met, he lived in Chicago in one of the more dangerous neighborhoods with drug dealers, prostitutes and gunshots. However, J discovered wonderful people in the darkness - the family upstairs and the air force veteran a few houses down. He did not have to be afraid and felt God's protection.

After J and I got married in Indiana, we joined a life group at Northview Christian Life Church. One woman in the life group, Brita, convinced us to serve breakfast at Brookside. We were awkward and uncomfortable, but Brita sat down with a group of children and started a conversation. What guts! I made a mental note that I wanted to be more like her. After awhile the breakfast didn't work out, so we stopped volunteering at Brookside.

Then, a while later, another couple in our group, Zack and Angie, called up Doug Ehrgott, the Outreach Pastor at Northview, and asked if there was anything we could help him with. Doug had just completed a book called Externally Focused Church, and asked us to read it and be the guinea pigs. We began serving others in our community. It was really hard. J and I learned a lot about ourselves and problems to avoid next time, but we also realized that serving was something we had to do.

During our serving experiment, I was hired at Northview as an Administrative Assistant. I had a great time there and have great love for so many coworkers, but God was stirring J and my hearts. We felt like there was still something missing. Why are we serving but not joyfully? Why is it such hard work?

While on staff at Northview I was placed in a group several times with the Worship Pastor Ryan Poe (and other people) to discuss serving in our community. God was working on Ryan and Shannon to begin serving more and eventually begin their own church The Well. Since Ryan and I did not really know much about each others families, he seemed surprised that J and I were involved with serving in the community too. I don't know if that was the reason he later invited us to be part of the Well, but I think God definitely planned it that way.

I quit my job when J and I had our first child and we began attending The Well. A few months into the church we found ourselves once again serving at Brookside. This time we went to just be there and serve as God shows us. Our commitment was to go once a month, but J and quickly realized that we would never actually get to know anyone that way, so we began attending every Sunday morning and helping with the children. Last year The Well combined with another church on Sunday mornings so we had to make many choices. We decided to put our time and energy into the people at Brookside. We made a commitment to attend the Wednesday night Bible study and get to know people better.

We have been there every week (minus illness and vacation) for almost three years. God is at work at Brookside. He is fighting a war against addictions, poverty, indifference. I can see God instilling confidence, importance, knowledge, and passion in his people.

I am so thankful to God for leading J and I to Brookside, softening and opening our hearts, and equipping us with compassion and mercy (of which I was certainly lacking before). I am so thankful to the many people that have impacted our journey through their obedience to God, especially our families. We are confident that God is preparing us for something, but we are waiting and obeying with excitement and patience.

Monster-Free (for now)

When I was pregnant with BeeGee I heard from many mothers that he was bound to be a "monster" since OE was an easy baby. After caring for him for 7 months, I am relieved that he is the complete opposite. Now that I have busted that myth, I am going to work on the next one: If your child is a good toddler, then he will be a difficult teenager. I'll let you know in 10-15 years how that one turns out. (You are welcome to begin praying for me now!)

He looks pretty scary in this picture