Wait! Let me explain!

Yesterday Sarah posted this instagram message. Imagine my surprise to receive texts later wishing us congratuations on our announcement. . .Yikes! While it would be a very clever, cute way to announce a new addition it just ain't so! So, if you were a recipient and were confused - sorry! It was just an encouragement to one of our young married couples going through a late arrival, long induced labor and difficult delivery. . .Hadassah did arrive emergency c-section early this morning:). But, no, we are not expecting and never find out the gender any how. :)

LOL. This might lead into a future, longer blog on technology. . .plenty to muse about there!

St Patrick's Day 2013

Flu or not, nothing was going to stop the St. Patrick's Day festivities! While we aren't Irish, we are in good company for dear St. Patrick wasn't either!

Why celebrate this holiday? It is a day to have fun and enjoy silly traditions and folklore, but more importantly it is an opportunity to teach Truth in an age that has forgotten the real meaning of St. Patrick's Day. Paul tweeted on Sunday, "Saw the World's largest 'Pub Crawl' in Charlotte, NC. Sad to think very few would know St. Patrick brought the Gospel to Ireland, not liquor." I find even many Christians have little knowledge behind the life of this godly servant. Want a good read? Pick up the VOM copy on St. Patrick.

For the Micu's, along with reading and remembering the life of Patrick who God called out of darkness into light, we always enjoy a special treat of Lucky Charms for breakfast.

Lunch or dinner always consists of the Irish favorite, Corned Beef and Cabbage! Everyone actually enjoys it once a year:).

And then there's the anticipated Leprechaun hunt. Every year the O'Micus receive a letter from Lucky Leprechaun taunting them with his secret stash of buried treasures. His letters and clues also send us on a hunt around the acres. We never quite catch the little guy or find his gold, but he is always kind and leaves some treats!

Taking turns reading the clues

Figuring out where to head next

Lucky left his treasure in the "hobbit house" Jon and Bek have been busy making

Cookies and a bag of gold candies make for a fun leprechaun hunt

This is the closest thing to a leprechaun we spotted! Not sure what he is doing. . .

And so it continues. . .

Paul made it home yesterday, but forgot his shining armor and the white horse and the part where he sweeps me off my feet and into an illness-free sunset. He was actually tired and on East-coast time. . . Reality. The stuff Disney doesn't film. :) I'm so glad my daughters get to see true love.

Miriam and Jael started fevers Sunday night. . .Naomi was warm again today. . . Joey felt like he might be starting a fever after dinner. And so it continues - week 2. I guess that's part of having a bigger family - the flu takes twice as long to hit everyone and leave.

Despite being home-bound, holding fussy ones, feeling lousy myself, getting behind in school. . .one benefit is the quiet that has settled over the house with so many knocked out with this flu bug. Children sleeping all day. . .hmm, I could get used to this! (As long as they sleep all night, too!) Another benefit was a lower grocery bill and not cooking much last week. Soup, crackers, and bananas were the hit.

Flu   2013

Pity

It's been quite a week. Not one I would prefer to repeat any time soon, though. Paul came home from his conference sick with the flu. It's a long-lasting one this year and he was no exception. It turned ugly and got into his lungs . . ick. I found myself at different doctors offices 5 times last week. The dentist once. It was that kind of week. Baby got pink eye. . .Jael got an UTI . . . random stuff with different kids plus getting hit with the flu on and off the entire week.

One night, on top of being up 2 hours with my own flu issues, three kids came in at throughout the night with fevers. We had the cooties. Oh, and Paul was off again Thursday morning for a wedding in NC.... leaving me to handle the sick-fest single handedly. Self-pity. The temptation to feel sorry for myself entered my mind on several occassions but was quickly dismissed. There is no room in the life of a believer for self-pity. Thankfulness entered instead. I was thankful to live in a country where I can, if I choose, access medical professionals and obtain medications to help with ailments. Our friends the  Downings aren't in that situation. Living in Chad they do not have the luxury of jumping in the car and going to the doctor, then leaving with prescriptions to relieve bacterias and infections. Chad, where illness can become a life and death battle, not just an inconvenience in one's week.

Yet even in Chad there is no room for self-pity when God is in control orchestrating even sickness through His providence. While I didn't enjoy spending more time in the car one day than I did in my home, I can see His hand using even this situation for His glory and our best. And I'm thankful.

Thankful, too, that we seem to be almost through it and Paul will be home tomorrow:).

Reading - love it!

Lots of reading goes on around the Micu home. Why not get rewarded for it? This one actually rewards Mom! Yep, it's In-n-Out reading time at the local library. You get one of the above certificates for every 5 books read and you can receive up to three certificates. Do the math:). That's right, we have 24 In-n-Out  burgers to look forward to this year. While the sign indicated ages 4-12, the librarian at our library was very generous and said it counted if I read to the little ones! Wish I had asked about Sarah because she gave some to Josh, too.

We also enjoy the benefits of reading through the Book It Rewards Program (www.bookitprogram.com/) that you can sign up for through Pizza Hut. We also tried the Read to Succeed Program (readtosucceed.discoveryeducation.com/) which will hopefully send us to Six Flags this summer.

These times create fun memories and we are always tickled as a family to order what "normal" families might order at a restaurant or pay when attending an event/entertainment park. Having a large family doesn't necessarily mean that you don't do certain things - you might do them with less frequency, be more creative in how you afford it, and enjoy it more than those who give it little thought. What a great way for the kids to play a part in helping the family to have enjoyable, memorable times together. And thanks to the donations of these establishments, it's FREE to us (you just have to read....).

There are no accidents

Yesterday morning (Tuesday - I'm slow posting this) began in a fairly typical manner. Morning 5, chores, first fruits, breakfast, kissing Daddy good-bye (a little extra because he's off to Shepherd's Conference until Friday), school. . .and then a phone call. The type of call that tests my theology and develops my faith.

I wonder if Janine's day started off fairly typical, too, yesterday. Perhaps her husband rose early, heading out for a typical bike ride with his group on a beautiful spring morning in March. Never to come home again. "Mom, we just saw him!", my kids all exclaimed in wonder and shock at the news. "He was just picking up his son from youth group on Thursday night." "We were just talking with them and telling stories after the FC choir concert the other Sunday night." Unbelievable. Incomprehensible. Anguish. Heartache. Sadness. Loss.

Jim is fully alive and enjoying the mysteries we, still entangled in our flesh, long for in Heaven. God called him to Himself and Jim placed his faith and trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ. We rejoice knowing this truth.

But I struggle with the other thoughts that enter and shout "is this God's best?" "Is God good?" "Is God in control?" Accidents. That's what we call what happened yesterday when Jim's life ended, in our minds prematurely, and he went home. Accidents. But the Christian knows there are no accidents. God never loses control. God was not surprised by yesterday's events. In fact, God proclaims in the Psalms that He numbered Jim's days - there is no premature death for the Believer.

I can completely understand why some try to keep the blame off of God in tragedies like this. In our finite minds it makes Him out to be uncaring, mean, unloving - certainly not a good God. Nothing could be further from the truth. The real hope we have in loss and suffering is that it was orchestrated by the hand of a good and loving Father. If these events were merely random and out of His control - that would be a tragedy. No, while I might not understand or see what He is doing - I can trust Him in this and the suffering to come.

We grieve, but not as those without hope.

Blossom Trail Run

The Blossom Trail Run. This race occurs the first weekend in March each year, right when the valley is beginning to bud. We discovered this race after our move into the country and found it to be a fun kids' race with a neat family atmosphere.

This year the kids' all received a medal for participating instead of just a ribbon - made for really excited kids! They all did well and ran their races - and finished:). Some (Hannah, this year) surprise us with unexpected speed. Jon, the oldest and his last year, took 3rd and has developed a nice stride and calm pace. He seems built to run the 800 meters. Bekah always looks speedy. She moved from the 400 to the 800 this year and claims that the longer races aren't for her. It's hard to come in after your brother, even if he is older:). Hannah was the surprise, running neck to neck with a 9 year old and taking 2nd. She's got one more year in her division. Naomi was looking around more than running, but didn't seem to mind and stayed in the pack. Jael was the oldest in her division and ran in the right direction and hung in there for a top spot. I was wondering if she'd run in her skirt, hair bow and cowgirl boots. . .  Joey just ran (with Sarah) and finished the race without falling down or tears. He was so proud to receive a medal. I keep telling Josh and Sarah that the three of us are going to enter the 2 mile together one year. . .

I'm always amused on race day as I observe the antics. Parents pushing their little ones to get out there and run. Every year toddlers are left standing on the line in tears. Several only make it a few yards before falling. Some parents even pick up their kids and start running! As homeschoolers, it's fun to get out and enjoy some competition with peers. Most of my kids wonder and seem a bit anxious "what if I'm last?" "What if?" I say, always the caring parent. I encourage them, "As terrible as it sounds there are worse options. You could wet your pants or poop. You could trip and not get up. You could run the wrong way. You could sit and cry. And even as horrible as all those possibilities sound - God is bigger. God is stronger. God is real. God is here. God is always working for the good of those He has called." Their fears dissipate for another year as they conquer their anxieties, run their race and enjoy their rewards. While they might think the reward is the medal or the fun foods afterward, someday they might realize that the greater reward was their deepening faith in God's character in their risk.

March Monday Morning Surprise

This morning as we set out on our First Fruits walk, we opted out of the longer mile route in order to take the shorter backyard route. I'm not sure we saved time this morning! As we rounded the first bend and started by the bridge, we noticed there were no longer three billy goat gruffs living on the island - but 5! Yep, one of the mama goats had twins sometime late last night or early this morning (umbilical cords were still attached).

Mama goat watches in the background

Bek cuddling with one of the new twin boys

Joey doesn't smile much for the camera - but this morning he was all smiles

So was big brother Jon, who was excited to have a new baby to replace Tebow

Two makes it easier to share!

The name game began as we resumed our walk around the lake. We've already had Jacob and Esau (former dogs) and our new pup is Jake. Jael wanted Paul and Silas, because everyone else is a Bible name. Jon threw out a candy option - Mike n Ike. Sarah thought Phineas and Ferb (some kind of new cartoon show) might fit the pair. Paul encouraged them not to get too attached - they are meat goats. So, I thought we could name them Yum and Yum. Yum yum. Ok, maybe not.

Personally, I'm not crazy about goats in general. They eat the plants you don't want them to and can get out of any fence. However, they have remained trapped on the island and are doing a nice job eating the weeds down. And, I would like to see about milking the mama goat because I hear fresh goat's milk is delicious. Despite my lack of love for goats - baby goats are precious. I love babies and spring continues to be my favorite season partly for that reason. The farm fills up with baby kittens, chicks, ducks, gooslings, and some goats! 

Fearless Miriam was also not so crazy about the goats! :)