Where's Jesus

Last night on the way home from Granna Ann's house Andrew asked from the backseat:
"mama, where is Jesus?"
Frankly, I was taken aback by the question. We pray with the kids every day and talk about Jesus, but until yesterday, they had never asked about Jesus by name.

"Jesus is in Heaven and also in your heart, sweet pea" I told him (thinking wow...we might be entering our first two way conversation about Christ).

"No mama, He sleeping. He take a nap. Jesus tired." Andy said.

Okay, so we are not quite there...but we are getting somewhere.

Today on the way home from Heather's, Andy asked me again, "mama, where Jesus?".
(Again, I start thinking this is it. Our first real conversation about Jesus).

"Jesus is in your heart Andrew. He is also in Heaven. He loves you very much."

"No mama, He working. Jesus at work."

Very true. Jesus is working. In me. In the boys. In Ash. Please keep working, Jesus. I have a long way to go.

Rained out

All week last week we had been promising the boys that if they were good, we could go to the Street Dance. They did not know what that meant, but they bought into it and every time they started to act up, we just had to give them a look and they would say "I be good. I wanna go street dance"!!
Friday rolled around and with it came rain...and cold. We could not go to the street dance but had to do something fun after we had been promising all week.
Ashley and I decided on Frankie's Fun Park.
The boys had a ball. They ran around like chickens and got sensory overload from all the lights, sounds and people.
After leaving Frankie's we went to dinner at San Jose. (John actually called Krissy, our favorite giraffe, out the window of the restaurant).
We packed in the car to head home and the boys wanted to know where we were going next.

John:"where andybody going daaad?"
Ash: "we are going home now buddy."
Andy:"we not going home dad?"
JD:"we not go your house daaad."

Andy and JD:"WE GO FRANKIE'S HOUSE"!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe we can go back to Frankie's house sometime soon.

Our prayers

ME: Lord, thank you for this day and for all the blessings that you have given us. Please bless our family, Lord.

This is where the boys take over.

A: Bess Nana and Papa!
J: Bess Mana Meg!
A: aaaaaaaaaaaand bess Pop!
J: and bess Honey!
A: aaand Pop!
J: aaaand Bess Doc Hudsit (Doc Hudson from Cars)
A: and Bess Krissy (the giraffe they feed)

silence....

Me: Amen
Boys in unison: YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Brought together by lindler5??

Today at church when we were about to pick up the kids I passed Merritt Pace and her husband, Steven. I said hello and Merritt spoke back to me and I wondered if she feels like she knows me like I feel like I know her. I read Ashley Lindler's blog all the time and of course I have clicked on all the blog's of her friends as well. As a result, I feel like I know people who I do not really know. Kind of weird I guess. Today I wondered if maybe they read my blog too. Do you know my kids' names and laugh at the funny things that happen at our house?

If so, please keep reading....and I will do the same. :)

Tonight at dinner I watched Andrew and John eat chicken Parmesan and garlic bread...with a fork. It is amazing to stop and think how far they have come in 2.5 years. They have gone from being fed through an iv, to a ng tube, worked their way up to being able to take all 8 bottles per day while breathing so that they could come home from the hospital...and now, 2 short years later, they are eating chicken Parmesan with a fork. It is truly amazing. From 2.5 pounds to over 25 pounds. Their growth has been truly miraculous.

We got our pictures made for the church directory this week. There was a crowd of people there waiting to get their pictures made; Ashley needed to leave for SALT. The boys were NOT happy to see their daddy go. They wanted to go with him and ride in his "big truck".

I was trying to convince three tired, hungry children that we are going home soon. They were not acting their best. Even Wyatt was fussing. Of course, whenever we are in that situation (it happens to Ashley just as often as it does to me) people always say "wow, you have your hands full." or "I do not know how you do it" or "Better you than me". Of course, there are times when they drive me a little batty (not Wyatt yet) but I am so glad to be doing it. We are so blessed to have three crying children.

We're even more blessed when they smile!! :)

Our little performer

Ashley recently bought the boys a little keyboard. It is not a full-sized keyboard, but it is not a baby's toy either. It came complete with a microphone stand and sheet music. The boys love it. They love it so much that they have not gotten a chance to play with it very often. Typically the keyboard gets taken away from them because they can not share.
Today John was into something else so Andrew had his keyboard all to himself. Ashley plugged in the microphone and Andrew turned on the charm. We are still trying to teach him that you do not actually put the microphone IN your mouth, but he is having a ball performing for the family. He sang Twinkle while Ashley played it on the keyboard. What a pair!!

Trips to the zoo

We have been going to the zoo a lot lately....last week the boys went to the zoo three times. We do not have a membership yet for some reason. I am sure we would if the boys didn't get in free. Each time we go to the window it's the same thing.

Me or Ashley: Two adults and three kids under three
Cashier: Three kids under three??

Yea, I know.

Between 10:00 and 1:30 you can feed the giraffes. Typically there is a crowd on the deck and you pay your dollar for a hand full of lettuce and the giraffes eat out of your hand. Ashley or I always actually feed them, even though the boys insist that they REALLY want to do it this time.
Sunday we went to feed them, but they were full I guess.
We called, but they did not come.

Come here Krissy! Come here giraffes. Hey giraffes, come eat!

We got a refund for the lettuce.

So this morning on the way to Miss Heather's house the boys started calling again...
"Come here Krissy!! Here Krissy!!"

They grin from ear to ear.

Maybe we will see her this weekend. Hopefully she will be hungry!

A few recent pictures...

Boys at the beach Boys on the swings
Fun at Frankie's Fun Park...they had only been once and did not remember it!
John was in Heaven at Frankie's!!
Sweet P in the hospital. Pat did not let a few iv's get him down!!

Please allow me to introduce myself

Ashley: JD, what's your full name?
John: Ashley Gilfillan

Ashley: No, that is my name. What is YOUR name?
John: Andrew Gilfillan

Ashley: No, buddy, that is your brother's name! What is YOUR name?
John: John Dabid Gilfiwlam

We all cheer!! YEAH!!
5 minutes later...

Ash: Hey John, what is your whole name?
John: Ashley Gilfillan

Heal this family

God, please heal this family.

That has been my prayer for the past two weeks it seems; every night I go to Him in prayer begging to make Pat well, heal John's stomach bug...and mine...and Granny Meg's...and Nana's.
Even though our ailments have been pretty minor, it is easy to get overwhelmed with what is going on and feel like I can not take it.

Then Friday Ashley and I just happened to be watching a special called Stand up to Cancer. The show was filled with stories of real people, told mostly by celebrities. It was sweet and sad and put a lot into perspective.

Lord, thank you for our health. Lord, what would I do if my child were terminally ill? God, please be with the man on the show who lost his 4 year old son.