13 Things I Love About Jacob

So my boy turned 13 and we celebrated yesterday, and last night, and this morning.  It was a casual party with just a few friends.  They are becoming such young men, especially the ones whose voices are going down in pitch.  It's so amazing to hear these boys, who I've known for years, changing and becoming deep, and slightly more mature (at times :).

The boys spent quite some time designing their PVC tube marshmallows guns.  Then took off into the orchards with bags of minis for all out marshmallow warfare.  Ditto is still loving the remnants of party fun!!  Also a little airsoft gun action/target practice happened with only one shot at a person before it was hidden by the Dad.

So 13 things I love about my boy:
1. He has always had a soft heart for people, caring and kind and compassionate.  Even though sometimes one has to hide it by a tough guy exterior, it's still in there being nurtured and will always be a big part of who he is and how he treats people.
2. That he always likes a bedtime story and to be tucked in at night, usually we read the Old Testament together and just hang out together.
3. The way he laughs when something is funny, it's all in!
4. His kindness and ability with younger kids, I still think he'll be a teacher or something one day, if he can get over hating English and Social to teach it one day.
5. His love language has always been "physical touch" and though it's changing to more of a wrestling kind of "love" than Mommy hugs, I love the way he'll just fall into a couch, hug the dog, hang on the side of me, make himself present in a room, or a hug with all of himself
6. His mathematical, Lego building mind.  It amazes me what comes out of that head
7. The way he looks up to his sister and his Dad, wanting to be like them, the good parts of them, yet still so much his own man.
8. The way he can spend hours creating, in his own world, so self entertaining and independent, with a train of thought and creations that come out from the bedroom.
9. His determination to improve at something he sets his mind to
10. Dirt, dirt, dirt... enough said.  It's so cute that he's always dirty because it means he's wholeheartedly been into something, but also so annoying all at the same time. He's so secure in who he is and has never cared what people think of him.  So much confidence in a wonderfully, dirty package.
11. His love for sports and athletic ability that he has pursued.
12. His deep love for God and desire to do what is right
13. All the things he is all in one make him a complicated, unique, God fearing son, turning young man that I love so much!

Happy Birthday to my teenager!  It was nice the boys dressed color coordinated with the theme colors for me.

Painful Slogging Through

This marriage thing ... it's sometimes hard, as a few of us friends have found out when our girlfriend up and left her husband a few weeks ago.  A huge surprise to us all, a knocking down of structure and depth we thought we were creating together.  And it's not the only thing in life that's hard.  It's got me thinking how we keep so much inside, how we don't share what's actually going on inside of us, behind our closed doors, how our hearts may be pounding with the fear of loss or rejection, hurt, pain, and we don't allow ourselves a place to be, a place to be heard, or cared for.  We try at community, at making deep friendships, and sometimes they fail us, most often we fail them too.  Sometimes it's too hard to be open even in the closest of trusting relationships.  Because we've been hurt before, we don't want to trust and open our hearts again, be judged, or made afraid of what someone might do with our information, our emotions, our hearts.  We are so human in our fears, in trying to be what we think we should be.

What is this life if we can't be there for each other?  If when your heart and life around you is crumbling and no one seems to pay attention. How many lonely people are out there without a soft place to land?  How many hurts just need a listening ear?  And how can we open ourselves up to being that person for someone else?  To be the hands of Jesus?

This rubbing of lives together in the box of 4 walls, a home, brings out the rough edges most often in need of some sanding down.  But sometimes we see a gouging take place instead of a gentle, even sanding.  And sometimes we don't see at all.

"Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest"  Jesus

I have 2 teenagers!!!

And the whirl wind continues as several things wind up around here, and boy are we ready!  We were away last weekend for Jacob's volleyball provinicials to the lovely town of Aldergrove, BC (read... another trip to Vancouver), no snow this time.  I had the lovely company of the other coaches wife, and have made I'm sure a new friend.  We have so many common friends and connections it's uncanny, and the guys get along fantastic.  We had the lovely company of my Mom on the way home, she flew into Abbotsford to watch and come back home with us.  What a totally fun team and group of boys and parents!  We came in 2nd last, but had fun doing it!

We were away again this weekend to Abbotsford (read.. the Coquihalla is becoming like a friend to us) for U16 girls provincials.  Erin was feeling totally sick this weekend, so rode the bench a fair bit. They ended up 7th in the province, which is nothing to sneeze at, although that's what Kevin has been doing all night.  A road trip first happened on the way home, they both fell asleep!!

And in other, MOST BIG and EXCITING news!  I have another teenager!!!!  Both my kids are now in the teens, leaving behind the days of children in the house! I'm still a little happy to be tripping over Lego when I think about this. It really is such a weird feeling that I haven't fully processed yet!  We had some small celebrations over the weekend, and when Gramma was here, but the real party will happen this coming weekend.  Jacob you're the BEST boy,  I love you to pieces, I know I sometimes even squash you to pieces, but you're so loveable!  He's pretty excited about opening "shoes" while driving!  I can't wait to get to party planning and really celebrate!

My Little Referee

I just HAD to sneak out of the ladies' breakfast at our weekend conference to go and watch Jacob's first referee game. Oh I've forgotten those cute little 7 year old guys running around! Good job Jacob, now he's making the big bucks, compared to paper route $.  What a handsome fellow in his uniform!  Nice whistle blowing!  I also had the best conversation of the weekend on the sidelines with another Mom I don't see very often, funny how that happens.

Full of it!

 
I've been re-inspired lately.  It happens to me repeatedly, needs to happen repeatedly. We need to continually be refueled, filled with Holy Spirit infused power before the world sucks it out of us.  I remember reading John Elredge saying that we so often wake in the mornings forgetting all we know about God, and have to convince ourselves of living fully for the truth every morning.  Life sometimes takes over and I run out of ways to remember, reasons why I love my Jesus, losing some of the joy I want over-spilling in my own heart, so that there's lots to give away again.  It's been seeping out too much lately, making me a bit too short, too efficient.  I've known the lack, but find the searching a challenge too.  I'm renewed, less weary.

I love these that Erin photo shopped this weekend.

Way too Busy...

I have always been someone who never thought it was a great response to the question, "So, how are you?"  to hear the answer, "So busy!".  What is the deal with that?  People always seem to elevate themselves to some sort of self importance just because they are "so busy".   It's a choice.   You can choose how much you allow into your life, how much you want to involve yourself in.  But I have always wanted to be one whose life is full with people, with love, with being involved with others.

Well lately I've been too busy.  So I can criticize my own self for that, I've fallen into my own trap. But I still don't want to answer the question that way.  It's still a choice ~ that I didn't finish my Bible study reading til half an hour before it happened, but watched an hour of TV last night.  Or that I couldn't get that phone call made to my mother-in-law, but was able to sneak in some other time wasters.

I figured you were all tired of volleyball posts, but that is one thing we've been busy with, the last 2 weekends away in Vancouver. Dear Missy inadvertently gave me permission this morning to post more, with her comment of how she's loving following the volleyball posts :)  So here's to our 4th in the province ranked girls!  Woohoo!! 

The girls had a steady match against Prince George and were 2 points behind both entire games and won both by a narrow margin heading us into the top 8.

We met up with Whiterock Seaside Surf, who barely beat us in the bronze match last weekend 27-25, and beat them handily in the game 2 and 3 after them slamming us 25-13 in game 1, putting us into the top 4.  What an exciting match!

It's so nice being the B team, because there are no expectations, and if you do well, everyone is happy, if not a bit surprised.  The A team are coached by the UBCO women's team coach and have a lot of pressure to perform, as it seems obvious they are being 'groomed' for post-secondary volleyball careers.  They have so much expectation to live up to and it's hard for them.  They came in a disappointing 10th this weekend.

 

We knew there wasn't much hope against the Coquitlam Ducks, the 1st ranked team, but the girls put in a good showing getting 25-19, compared the last time we played them back in Feb.  This is a big team with a triple block on most plays!

Don't worry I won't take up sports commentating as a career.

Skype Snapshot

I love them!  They are all a little weird!