hemorrhoids happen.

November 12, 20121 Comment

unless you are plastic barbie doll, my guess is that your life is full of hemorrhoids.

you know… unexpected events, annoying peeps, pesky mice and other fun things we can’t control.

hemorrhoids happen...

unexpectedly, they can creep in and hang around.

inevitably, they will pop up under pressure.

and ultimately, they will irritate you.

whether it’s election results, sickness, inclement weather, financial flubs, mouse poop and mangled trash, grey hair, rocky relationships, kids misbehaving, family fiascos and other annoying things people do… or don’t do… and their responses or lack of response… or a misunderstanding about something you did or something you didn’t do… or something you said or didn’t say which has been misinterpreted, misjudged, misinformed… the *hemorrhoid happenings* can go on and on and on.

those *fun* life circumstances that you have no control over… they can hang around to irritate like hemorrhoids.

sooo… whacha gonna do, whacha gonna do, whacha gonna do when they come for you?!

in recent *hemorrhoidal news* our country was divided, choosing between two ~~puppets~~ Presidential candidates to lead us.

politics. schmolitics. (sigh.)

is it really worth peoples blood pressure skyrocketing or getting their panties in a wad???

for part of our country, things went “their way” with the re-election of President Obama… and for the other part, “their guy” wasn’t elected, so they consider this another huge hemorrhoid to deal with for the next four years.

our fab fam of five was sick all week. the sickness slowly crept its way around our house, eventually infiltrating all of us. by the end of this week, i personally wanted to scream and took a trip to target for no. reason. at. all. just to get out of the house. aaand *bonus* i ran into a friend there. i felt better temporarily, but the hemorrhoids popped up again in other forms.

in its weakened state, our family had more than its usual share of hemorrhoids. the kids were acting like loony toons. there were all out family feuds. household blunders. leaky toilets. a clogged up sink. bills i kept forgetting to pay. general tasks were neglected. anything extra to do felt like a pain in the a**. and to top it all off // another grey hair emerged on my head. oh hemorrhoids.

and over the weekend… mouse poop and mangled trash invaded our mini van. about a month ago we found mice *camping out* in our camping equipment stored in the garage. after cleaning everything out we were hoping the mice would just leave. but nope. they had other plans. they boldly hid in our garage for a month and waited for the opportune time to sneak into our mini van and devour fresh snack crumbs. we discovered this fun surprise after the three wee babs and i ran errands all morning, accompanied by the hidden mouse droppings. prepping for a fam bike ride, we were moving things around in the van… and found the droppings. ugh. as we continued cleaning, we found more droppings and mangled trash behind the kids car seats, in their cup holders, on the floor board, etc… adam did an awesome job of cleaning and sanitizing the van and car seats while still salvaging enough daylight to enjoy some family time together. now these little ~~hemorrhoids~~ mice have some lovely traps patiently awaiting their arrival and imminent death.

but our minor family hemorrhoids [and the major presidential race of hemorrhoids] pale in comparison to the east coast being hit hard by the ~~inclement~~ ridiculously terrible weather, given the sweet name of “hurricane sandy”. hundreds of thousands of people were in the middle of this catastrophic storm, losing their homes, possessions and some even their lives, while the rest of us went on with our daily routines relatively unscathed.

{our hearts and prayers are with NYC~when we served at our church Glad Tidings, we lived in Battery Park City~we dearly care for our friends who still live there}

sooo… what do we do when *hemorrhoids happen* in life that we can’t control?

flush ’em out.

with the Living Water.

Jesus.

When the hemorrhoids happen and we are in the middle of life circumstances we can’t control, our only hope for true, deep-rooted, unshakeable, peace is a relationship with Jesus.

what are you going to put your hope in? who are you going to put your trust in?

our hope and trust can’t be in our government, health, wealth, weather or anything else…

these things won’t last, they will disappoint, they will fail…

only {putting our} hope and trust in the Living Water {Jesus} can flush the hemorrhoids away…

love your neighbor. or not.

September 26, 20122 Comments

we live in a nice suburban neighborhood. in the middle of nowhere Ohio.

well… to the people who grew up here it is somewhere.

but to us. we liken it to the middle of nowhere. no offense.

we moved here from new york city. and once you’ve lived there…everywhere else seems like the middle of nowhere.

but now we live here. and we love it.

in new york city we had neighbors but not for real neighbors.

we had next door apartment dwellers.

we rubbed shoulders with fellow subway riders.

we scurried past hurried walkers.

we barely made eye contact with other elevator riders.

in new york city, we “learned” how to avoid our neighbors.

and here in our lovely suburban neighborhood in the middle of nowhere we’ve kinda done the same thing. unintentionally.

we’ve lived in our house for nearly seven years.

and only recently have we begun to know our neighbors.

it’s a shame. really.

sure. we love our church. we love our friends. we love the random strangers we meet and pray for at the grocery story, kohls and target.

but our neighbors?

hmmm. not doing such a good job.

home sweet home. we close our garage door. a house. a job. 3 kids. a tv. we’re good.

yet our hearts have been tugged time and time again…

meet your neighbors.

and we know how to be kind. we do have manners.

i grew up in oklahoma where everyone waves and says “howdy”.

p.a. grew up in california where everyone is smiley and everyone calls everyone “dude”.

and we didn’t ignore *all* of our new york city neighbors.

we exchanged waves and hellos with our doormen. i mean c’mon. we at least owed them that courtesy for opening the door for us, right.

we exchanged bad breathy smiles with fellow subway riders as our bodies were pressed together crammed into this small transportation tube.

i shared fake laughs over laundry as i patiently waited for my turn to use the communal washing machine.

p.a. turned the other cheek while answering the church door to many a homeless friend who would refuse food offered if money was not in the negotiation.
i mean. we were sometimes neighborly.

so p.a. lands a job in a new church. we move to a cute little house in the middle of nowhere Ohio.
technically, we only have *ONE* neighbor because our house is on the corner.
we spend lots of time outside watching cars go by and exchanging neighborly waves.
we have a block party one summer and meet about 3 neighbors from that shindig.
we have dinner with one neighbor down the street.
we meet another few neighbors from a g-sale one saturday morning when we spread out all of our crap on our driveway to sell.
isn’t that enough neighborly interaction?
still our ears heard the whisper…
know your neighbors.

sure we are a family made up of a pastor, his wife and three kids.
yet obviously we still have a lot to learn.
and God is a God of redemption and grace.
He orchestrates who our neighbors will be and gives us opportunity to know them.
this past summer, p.a. had the chance to talk with one of our neighbors about Jesus.
i’ve chatted with a few neighbors during morning walks and quick visits when dropping off our kids at school.
some of our neighbors attend our church.
some of them have joined our worship team.
God is throwing opportunity to know our neighbors into our lap.

still the words of Jesus echo to be obeyed…
love your neighbors.

Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Leviticus 19:18.
and to not be so freakin’ selfish. duh.
our home is a sanctuary. we treasure our time together as a family. to get renewed, refreshed and refilled for the daily grind of life and ministry.
outside our home is a mission field.
just the other day, p.a. had the awesome opportunity to talk with one of our neighbors.
they just recently moved in next door to us. so yes.
they are technically our only neighbors.
we’ve seen them sitting outside on their front porch and given the neighborly wave as we back up out of our driveway.
we’ve assumed they’re as busy as we are and avoided further contact.
but our hearts tugged and our ears heard the whisper echo…
meet. know. love. your neighbors.
after his run the other day, p.a. went up to meet them and in a matter of minutes he learned part of their story…and invited them to church.
the husband is a pastors kid, the wife had a load of questions – she asked if it was okay that she smoked while p.a. was talking with them? yes. she asked it is okay to wear casual clothes to our church? heck yes. she asked is it okay that she cuss? hell yes. and btw so does the pastors wife. occasionally.
*and the best part*
p.a. asked them where they moved from…
the apartments right across the street from our church.
the same apartments we’ve given groceries to.
this family received groceries from our church 2 years ago.
coincidence? i think not.

so… Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves.
and He’s not kidding around.
…
do you have any neighborly stories to share? please. do tell.

the mom who yells in the morning

September 20, 20121 Comment

hey there…

i’m the mom who yells in the morning.

you know, the one who gets worked up from the second she wakes up if her kids get up one. second. too. early.

for the past three weeks, since school has started, this mom has had her fair share of yelling.

and so it goes.

you see…

soleil started the third grade and salem started kindergarten and selah started getting on my nerves.

soleil started dreading school.

salem started moving at a turtle’s pace.

selah started waking up at 5:30am and turning all the lights on.

and i became the mom who yells in the morning.

…

soleil has had a tough time starting off this school year.

she misses home. she cries before school. she stomps her feet. she refuses to get dressed. she declares she ‘will not go to school today’.

then mom starts yelling.

get dressed! get it together! you’re gonna have to be home-schooled! we’re gonna be late! i’m gonna have to sign you in!

…

salem has also had a tough time starting school.

he doesn’t want to stop playing legos. he throws a fit before getting dressed. he finally gets ready at a turtle’s pace.

then mom starts yelling.

go ahead and throw your little fit! once you’re over it, let me know! hurry up! get your shoes on! we gotta go!

…

selah has become the kid who wakes up at 5:30am in the morning.

are you kidding me?!? so not cool.

she wakes up. she turns on the lights. she starts to play. she wakes up her siblings.

then mom starts yelling.

go back to bed! you can’t have the light on! shhh! stop crying! shut it!

…

lunch packed. folders signed. shoelaces tied. backpacks zipped.

they are finally ready to go out the door.

we drive to school.

goodbye kids! have a great day! sorry… mommy… just yelled at you two seconds ago about turning on lights and moving at turtle speed and not wanting to go to school because you miss me when you are there…

the van door closes on my last whisper of sorry…

…

between clenched teeth i express raw emotion.

with a gulp of hot air i yell out orders.

with a flick of the light on too early, i spew.

with the hint of an unbalanced morning, i ignite a fire squad of words toward my children.

…

so why have i become the mom who yells in the morning?

because yelling is one thing i can do.

this mom has had a tough time starting school.

she misses her kids. she wishes they didn’t have to grow up. she wants to erase their 2.5, 6 and 8 year old problems.

but…

i can’t stop them from growing up. i can’t experience life for them. i can’t make all their decisions for them. i can’t erase all of their problems. i can’t control the ‘body clock’ of a 2.5 year old who wakes up and turns the light on. at way-too-early in the morning.

but i can yell. i can yell. and for that single moment i feel better. i can feel like my yelling is helping to progress things along.

…

the mom who yells in the mornings quickly crumbles into shame.

regret grasps at her throat and chokes future lashes.

humanity reminds her tomorrow is a new day.

humility quiets her voice.

the kindness of God shows her forgiveness.

this forgiveness. this grace. this love… covers a multitude of sins.

and reminds me…

let go.

talk with them. help process their feelings. guide their decisions. listen well. be patient. continuously pray over them. don’t worry about being late.

and…

i don’t have to be the mom who yells in the morning.

Birth Story ~ Salem

September 15, 20122 Comments

On September 2nd, 2006 our Bubs ~ Salem Charles Babcock was born.

This is his story.

we found out we were pregnant in January 2006. so excited is an understatement.

the pregnancy was going great. at 20 weeks, we found out Salem would be a boy. his due date was September 4th, and we couldn’t wait to meet our little man.

life was grand with our sweet Soleil. we were pumped for her to have a little brother. P.A. was also pumped to [finally] be having a little boy.

so the months went by and summer came. june was a hot month and I was one hot mama. i had been through pregnancy before with soleil’s birth and was pretty much an expert. i began to think, ‘let’s just skip these last few months of ankles swelling, raging hormones and increasing crankiness’…

and just have a baby.

but it doesn’t work that way… still, there were some days i even managed to convince myself i would go into early labor. i was in such a hurry to have him. once i thought i really was in labor and we went to the hospital early, only to be sent home. finally, September rolled around on the calendar. i was so anxious. on that Saturday, September 2nd, i woke up at 4am and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I read my Bible and wrote in my journal.

labor had begun.

…

however, i had myself convinced it wasn’t labor. i didn’t want to go back to the hospital only to be sent home. so i talked myself out of it. i muffled my way through contractions that day and we went on our merry way. my mom had just come into town the week before. we went to run errands: Sam’s club, Marshalls, Kohls. and for lunch we ate mexican food [a big mistake] i would find out later. and as we were sitting at the mexican restaurant, i hesitantly began to believe i was really in labor. we started timing my contractions only because my mom made me.

yes, did you realize that even at age 29 your mom can make you do something?

it’s true.

my mother knows best. thanks mom.

otherwise, he might have been born under the table.

playing with daddy’s hand at the restaurant while i’m in labor

after lunch, we walked around the mall at Easton and went to Barnes and Noble where Soleil played with the “chu-chu” for a little while. i figured lots of walking and activity could only help progress this lil’ labor to move along, so i was all for never going back home. and procrastinating going to the hospital for as long as possible. at Barnes and Noble, we timed my contractions, as they increased in strength and intensity, until *again* my mom ~~made me~~ strongly suggested we prepare to head to the hospital. and she was right *again*. here we are waiting for our friend Stacy to pick up Soleil, before we went to the hospital.

3 generations 🙂

the next few hours were a whirlwind of activity and waiting. we arrived at the hospital around 7:30pm, and my friend Amy met us there. i had my support posse in place, and found out i was dilated btwn a 3-4. things were moving along, but not really fast enough for me, so we took a little walk around the maternity ward. that was fun until i threw up my mexican lunch from earlier all. over. the. carpet.

“Clean up in the maternity hallway!”

i continued laboring in the room and was barraged with a bunch of labor questions from one of the nurses. she had impeccable timing *during* each contraction. i had answered so many questions prior to labor and filled out a laundry load of paper work, so i didn’t understand why she was asking me again the same questions. i was growing irritable. i was waiting for her to ask me, “do you prefer Dr. Pepper or Coca Cola?” “Is your favorite color blue?” etc… Adam & my mom fielded most of the questions and Amy made jokes to keep me distracted. jokes are one of her spiritual gifts.

finally…

a few hours, a few strong contractions and a few pushes later at 11:27pm ~ 8 lbs 3 oz of awesomeness entered the world.

Big Sissy!

Our Bubs ~ now he’s a big six year old! Salem is an amazing boy full of energy, compassion, love and laughter. we are so grateful to have him as our son. he brings us joy every. single. day.

Birthday Boy~loves his homemade Super Mario characters from Soleil 🙂

Happy Birthday Bubs! We love you and are so excited to share your birth story today!

The Original Playstation

September 7, 20122 Comments

I love fall.

Fall time is outstanding in central Ohio. The weather is perfect. The colors are vibrant. The pumpkin spice latte is baaaack at all the coffee shops.

Yes. Fall is lovely.

My favorite part about fall *besides all things pumpkin* is the time we spend outdoors…

The original playstation.

Nothing beats the great outdoors. No “konkey kong”, Mario video game or anything on T.V. or the Wii can even. come. close.

As summer comes to an end and fall is just around the corner, I can’t wait for all of the fun we are going to have in the great outdoors of Ohio.

I’m also feeling nostalgic for the wonderful times we had this summer. Especially all the fun we had exploring the original playstation ~ the great outdoors of Oregon.

*Here are some more snapshots*

Silver Falls State Park

Monkeys

looking out from the top of the falls

silly & serious faces

Me & my sister in law Amber

our family with cousin Micah

Sisters, OR

I love that Oregon has a little town called “Sisters” & the capital of Oregon is “Salem”

Salem & his sisters playing at a park in Sisters, OR

The High Desert Museum ~ Bend, OR

Exploring the pioneer ranch

Smith Rock ~ Terrebonne, OR

During this hike we used the rapid shooting feature on Adam’s camera phone. It was fun to capture lots of facial expressions and background beauty of Smith Rock.