Treasure Hunt

"You are my Strength when I am weak, You are the treasure that I seek. You are my All in All."

I have been singing the words of this song to myself a lot lately. I have been needing His strength. Not in the emotional sense, but for actual physical strength. My body has not been feeling well, for a long time actually. If you have followed this blog over the years (I can't believe I've been writing since '08) you may recall the saga of my jaw/neck and shoulder pain. Well, the pain is still there, usually everyday, some days are better than others. I don't write about it and I don't really talk about it much anymore. I don't totally know why. Maybe it's because if I am sick of hearing myself complain, I assume others would be too. It really doesn't help me to talk about it, in fact most of the time it only makes me feel worse. (So far, Drs, don't know what is wrong)

Anyway, today I really stopped and thought about the words to the song. You know how when you sing a song over and over again the words can lose their meaning? Well, I got to the second part, "You are the treasure that I seek..." and it struck me. The treasure that I have been seeking is not Him, but instead the end to my pain, my healing, a cure. (Not that there is anything inherently wrong with wanting to feel better!!!)
That was not all. He was not done with me yet :) He brought to mind some other treasures. Treasures that for awhile might seem great, but in the end they fail me and only lead to disappointment. The treasures I am seeking do not satisfy once and for all. Only He has the power to do that. I am not sure I really believe that. At least I am not living like I believe it.

Do not fear! My gracious God did not leave me here for long. The song continues,"when I fall down You pick me up, when I am dry You fill my cup,You are my All in All. Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is Your name."
Tonight, I read to the boys, "Treasure Hunt" a story from their children's Bible. Perfect, right? So, I get to the end and it says, "Coming home to God is as wonderful as finding a treasure!...God had a treasure, too, of course. A treasure that was lost, long long ago. What was God's treasure, his most important thing, the thing God loved best in all the world? God's treasure was his children. It was why Jesus had to come into the world. To find God's treasure. And pay the price to win them back. And Jesus would do it - even if it cost him everything he had."
See this is what I was missing. I am the treasure too! He has not forgotten me. Even when the pain in my neck makes me believe otherwise.
And upon remembering this very truth, I felt at home again!

Outside

Another reason I do not like playing football I can't play with my hands in my pockets. Soccer, however at least at their level, allows my hands to stay toasty warm :)

Mason puts up with so much. I feel for him. 

I pray he is not permanently scarred from the injuries and frustration of being littler.

I pray he has more compassion for Ryan although I hardly doubt it.

 

He doesn't stay down for long!

 

And this little one... could he be any sweeter?

He hardly moved, I think he was a little confused.

His hat was his only frustration.

I am not ready to let him romp around in the dirt and eat leaves.

I'll save that fun for a warmer day.

 

 I promise he gets plenty of love despite the past 2 posts.

Different Strokes

Owen had today off from school for a teacher workday. I wanted to do something a little different, but with 3 different ages and 2 naps to contend with and the cold weather, my list of choices was very short.

I decided to take the boys to a paint your own pottery store. I was hoping they could each make a cup for their bathroom b/c I am forever forgetting whose is whose. Unfortunately they only had large mugs, so they opted for "ice cream" bowls instead. Now we will have 2 very expensive ceramic bowls that I pray don't break right away :)

Mason had so much fun. He had no real idea in mind. He just picked "pretty colors" and went at it.

Owen spotted a brown football bowl (below) on display and decided he wanted one just like it.

You can't see in the picture but it had white lacing and brown seams. He did a great job (with a little help from me :) not that I minded. I just hope he isn't too disappointed if it comes out looking different.

 

Ryan in the background

Ryan did not have nearly as much fun, but he did tolerate a lot of sitting in his stroller. Thankfully the place wasn't very crowded. I am sure they thought I was nuts bringing 3 boys by myself. The boys are very excited to see their finished creations.
Then we met EJ for lunch. Owen enjoyed himself so much that at dinner tonight he said he was going to have a stomachache tomorrow and stay home ;)

#4

He is all about basketball these days. 

I think its so funny how quickly his heart swells for whichever sport is in season.

I am actually quite grateful to keep switching. 

I grow a little tired of hearing or practicing the same sport over and over again.

I know I have years and years ahead of me :)

Mason Time

I had a lot of solo time with Mason this weekend. It started Friday night, Owen had basketball practice and a neighbor/friend who is also the coach drove him to and from practice. Owen also had a quick dinner with them which is a pretty big deal, possibly his first time eating with another family by himself apart from a birthday party. Needless to say, Mason had mommy and daddy pretty much all to himself. Ryan was there but he goes to bed so early.
Then Saturday morning EJ and Owen went to his game. I needed to stay home to let Ryan have a morning nap. Mason chose to stay home. We played games almost the entire morning. Normally all he wants to do is play with lego guys. It was nice to actually play something else for a change.
Games are so much better for learning. We really should be playing them more often. He still needs help with colors, simple counting, shapes etc.