Cadence Taylor Hester

Yeah! Cadence Taylor Hester was born March 22, 2007 at 6:53pm to proud parents Ryan and Kelly Hester. She was 7lbs., 4 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long. Kelly is such a trooper...she was in labor all day! Kelly and Cadence are enjoying some time at home, and Ryan is already back to work. Cadence is a beautiful, petite, precious little blessing, and she is healthy and doing great!

Pray for Kelly!

My sister-in-law Kelly is going to be induced tomorrow...I am so excited!! This is their first baby, and they are so excited to welcome their precious little girl! Please pray for strength and endurance for Kelly, and that everything would go well, and quickly! And pray for both her and Ryan as they prepare for the excitement and changes ahead!!

Little Colds...And God's wisdom

Well, I haven't been much of anywhere for a couple of weeks, mostly due to a cold and cough that has worked its way through the kids. So, I didn't post last week about Life Design, and I missed this week too. Also, I started a new Bible Study at my church on Wednesday night...I was so excited about it, but I haven't been able to go since that first meeting a couple of weeks ago. But anyway, here's some food for thought:

Ephesians 5:1-20
We were discussing walking in the light/being wise how you live.
Which interestingly enough corresponded with the first week's lesson in my other Bible study.
How can we become more wise?
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov.1:7) and "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Prov. 9:10)
Which, in my own little paraphrase becomes..."Respecting God is the starting point of wisdom." The more we respect God, the more we trust him. The more we trust Him, the more we obey Him and actually put our knowledge of Him into practice.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 (my paraphrase here...)
"Respect God and obey Him--this is the whole job of mankind."

Then, this week's lesson in Life Design was about yielding, most specifically within the husband/wife relationship.
My dictionary defines yield as:
1. to give forth by a natural process
2. to surrender, to give way
3. the profit obtained from an investment (a return)
This was so absolutely interesting to me, because I noticed that the times in my relationships (marriage, friendship, or as a mommy) when I received the greatest return (definition #3) was often when I yielded the most (#2).

And oh yes, from my other Bible Study, God spoke most clearly to my heart through the words Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:25-26...(my paraphrase)
You should be more concerned with what's truly in your heart, rather than how you appear in the eyes of others.

So, hey, that is so amazing...The Lord can speak to us in our hearts, gently correcting and rebuking without you ever having to leave the house. Hopefully I will leave the house soon, so I can put this all into practice. Of course, I have three (and sometimes four if Ben is home) great test subjects always at my disposal!!

Where Daddy Lives...

Today, the kids and I ventured out to meet a friend down at the Point in Ventura. It was such a perfect beach day....Blue skies, not a lot of wind, but just enough of a breeze. We walked along the water towards the playground, the kids played to their heart's content (or slightly less perhaps), and we enjoyed a snack. We thanked God for such a beautiful day and a chance to play and enjoy His beautiful creation...

Then Caleb said enthusiastically, "Oh Mommy, this is where Daddy lives!!"
Before I could explain...little Miss Emma, "No Caleb, this is where Daddy swims and surfs, in the ocean."

More from Life Design...

Life Design is the Bible Study that I attend on Wednesday mornings. I enjoyed posting when we were discussing mercy, so I thought I would try to continue posting and letting people know what we were focusing on during that particular week. Of course, that was 4 or 5 weeks ago, so I have missed a few. Anyway, this week, we were basically discussing Ephesians 4:17-32...which covers quite a bit, including the old self vs. the new self, and how we use our words. Ouch. It is a little ironic, since I spend quite a bit of time during the day saying, "Let's use kind words" or "God wants us to speak kindly to others". And yet it occurred to me during this study how carelessly I use my words sometimes. Not that I am even being mean (or at least not trying to), but using more words than necessary almost always gets us into trouble.
So, here were some of the verses that the Lord is using to remind my heart to be careful, and to think before opening my mouth:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29

"The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life..." Proverbs 10:11a

"Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning..." Proverbs 10:13a

"When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." Proverbs 10:19

"The lips of the righteous nourish many..."Proverbs 10:21a

"The lips of the righteous know what is fitting..." Proverbs 10:32a

Of course, there are many, many more. But that ought to be enough to keep my mind meditating and my mouth quiet, for a short time, anyway...

The L.A. Zoo

Thursday, my friend Heather and I decided to take the kids to the L.A. Zoo. We were not really sure if this was the smartest idea, but hey, we were in it together. So, she and her two hopped into the "Beast" with my me and my three. Off we went...There is a lot of construction going on there, and it is a very "hilly" terrain...especially with a 19 lb. baby in a front pack, and pushing a double jogger. Emma walked at first, while I pushed the boys, but Noah was just not happy with that situation. Once we rearranged, Noah slept while we saw alligators, kangaroos, sea lions, zebras, lions, giraffes, monkeys, and of course...the elephant. I'm pretty sure we only covered about half of the zoo, but we had to call it a success because we hadn't had any major meltdowns. Then we had lunch, and the kids got their lunch in an animal lunch box--Emma had a monkey and Caleb had a cheetah. They were SO excited to show Daddy their lunch boxes and tell all about their zoo trip, but they didn't get to see him until Saturday morning. To Ben's credit, he did an amazing daddy thing, and instead of sleeping in on Saturday morning, he got up with the kids and listened to their zoo adventure.
P.S. Emma's favorite animal was the flamingo, and Caleb's favorite was the elephant. A year pass for a family is pretty reasonable and includes guest passes.

How to spend a day off...

So, Ben has had to work pretty much every Saturday except when we went to Sacramento for his test. Which is okay, because we really needed the money right now to catch up on some bills, etc. So, he had this Saturday off, and although I didn't have any big plans, I did get some strawberries for a special breakfast...pancakes with strawberries. The kids love when I make anything like pancakes, french toast, etc. with any fresh berry. Unfortunately, Ben was very sick, so he spent all weekend in bed. Oh well, maybe next time. But I happy to report that he is now feeling better!! I wonder what berries will look good next weekend....

Another Interview...

Ben has another interview with the City of Santa Barbara for a Public Safety Dispatcher Position. I am not sure what to ask for prayer for, since we are not sure if he wants to take this job or not. It's a good job, and he would enjoy it, and like helping people...it's just that for 8 months out of the year, he would be working a night shift, which makes it hard for him to get sleep with so many little ones running around our place...=)

"Patchy"

Okay, so Ben no longer has to wear a patch. The opthamologist got all the metal out of his eye, and gave him a clear contact lens to wear over it while it heals. Yesterday, he took the contact off and sent him back to work. So, he's welding again today!!

The Emergency Room x2, and an Anniversary...

So, Ben got some metal in his eye after doing some welding/grinding at work on Saturday. So, we ended up going to the emergency room here in Ojai on Saturday night. After waiting two and a half hours, the ER doctor worked on Ben's eye but couldn't get all the metal out. He would have to see an opthamologist on Sunday. He got a patch on his eye and we had to wait to hear from the opthamologist. Sunday morning, my mom called me from a pay phone to say that my dad had gotten dizzy and almost passed out, so she was at the ER with him. So, I went over to check on my dad...they ran a bunch of tests and did a CAT scan, all of which came back normal. They decided that since he has had a cold that has hung on for quite a while, it is probably an inner ear problem, and they've given him some medicine. Meanwhile, Sunday was our 7th anniversary, so "Patchy" (my nickname for Ben) and I went to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack...the opthamologist wanted to wait to see Ben until today. So, we had a nice dinner (with Noah), and now Ben is patchless again. Hopefully all is well with his eye.

More prayer needed...

So, we have some decisions to make, and we are just in desperate need of God's wisdom. Please pray for us as we decide about the Fire Crew, and other job opportunities. Oh yes, and that our house will get rented soon!!!

What is Mercy?

Definitions of mercy on the Web:

clemency: leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice; "he threw himself on the mercy of the court"

mercifulness: a disposition to be kind and forgiving; "in those days a wife had to depend on the mercifulness of her husband"

Mercy is a term used to describe the leniency or compassion shown by one person to another, or a request from one person to another to be shown such leniency or compassion. One of the basic virtues of chivalry and Christian ethics, it is also related to concepts of justice and morality in behaviour between people.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy

Mercy is the act of not administering justice when that justice is punitive. Because of our sinfulness we deserve death and eternal separation from God (Rom. 6:23; Isaiah 59:2), but God provided an atonement for sin and through it shows us mercy. That is, He does not deliver to the Christian the natural consequence of his sin which is damnation. That is why Jesus became sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21) and bore the punishment due to us (Isaiah 5345). It was to deliver us from damnation. ...
www.carm.org/dictionary/dic_l-o.htm

Is withheld punishment for judgment, God's mercy provides the need for sinful man in Jesus sacrifice.
www.calvarychapel.com/redbarn/terms.htm

a virtue, is compassionate treatment, especially of those under one’s power, a disposition to be kind and forgiving. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." See "Grace."
miriams-well.org/Glossary/

An aspect of the royal prerogative, whereby a convicted person is pardoned or has the sentence cancelled or reduced.
hjem.get2net.dk/safsaf/glossary.html

Our Life Design bible study this week was about mercy...and a few of us thought that the way they presented "mercy" was not exactly correct. And so many of the questions that we were asked to answer were difficult, mostly because my mind couldn't really grasp the answer to this question: What is mercy? Where have I seen mercy in action recently?
Here is a sermon of sorts, on the subject:
http://www.studiesintheword.org/mercy_and_grace.htm

Anyway, this of course, is one of those things that we can't fully understand. There is so much to mercy, and it is hard to grasp because why would a holy God choose to withhold the punishment that we most certainly deserve and continue to earn on a daily basis? And yet, instead, he gives us Christ. Grace. Forgiveness. Redemption.
The best example that came to my mind (of a human showing mercy) was Elizabeth Elliot, whose husband was murdered by a tribe in South America. She went back and ministered to that tribe, sharing Christ's love and forgiveness.
And for me, I thought...Mercy can best be shown by me as Less Judgement, More Compassion. A clean slate. So instead of escalating discipline and punishment for every time they commit an offense, instead of treating the kids like it's the tenth time, treating them like it's the first time. Instead of handing out labels or judgements, or even punishments (that person isn't worth my time, or they don't deserve that, etc), handing out compassion instead.
All I know is that however I try to define mercy, we could all use a little more of it. And I should definitely be more thankful for it. And maybe I could even spend more time handing out compassion rather than complaining about my own circumstances.

P.S. If you have a recent example of mercy, please feel free to share it, perhaps we will be inspired!!

Well, Noah is now a hefty 16 lbs.!! And although they didn't measure his length at the doctor's office, our tape measure thinks he's almost 26 inches. So, he is doing well, thriving, and smiling a lot!

Caleb likes to say, "That cracks me up, dude!"

And Emma, poor thing, she has been very tired since a certain brother helps her wake up early every morning.

Ben has an interview tomorrow (Tuesday) with Aera energy, and on Friday (after work) we'll be driving to Sacramento for a test Saturday for the fire department. Please keep praying for us, that God will guide us and direct us in the direction of our next adventure. Thanks!

Organizing toys, AKA pointless activity

I know. It really is pointless, it won't even stay like this for one day, let alone a week or more. But I still have to do it!!

About once a week, or maybe every couple of weeks I go through and reorganize the kids' toys. I put the large toys in the "toy box" which is really a large basket. Then I put the small toys in their various bins-one for cars, one for the train tracks, one for "people" which includes Buzz Lightyear and Cinderella, etc. I even labeled a few of the bins today, because, well, it feels good to have the room so organized. It won't be later today, but hey, for those few wonderful, beautiful moments, everything was in its place.

Side note: I do make my kids clean up-before every meal, or whenever they leave the room for an activity...it's just that they don't always put things away where they should go.

We also spent all day Saturday trying to organize, clean, and find places for things in our room...It's not easy to fit five people in two rooms, but when things are put away, we can all breathe easier.

Pray for Ben

Okay Ben has an interview a week from Tuesday with Aera energy. They're an oil company, but basically the job pays pretty well, and has good benefits. He would work seven 12-hour shifts and then have seven days off...So that would be pretty cool, and allow for him to maybe continue pursuing school, and some other things. So, we are just waiting to see what God has in store for us, but I think this job would work out pretty well, at least for now???

Bible Story by Emma...

So, Ruth was picking up grain in the fields. And she was going to add oil and put it in the oven to make bread. And she was picking A LOT of grain because the boy said she could!

Update

Emma saw a boy outside trying to do an "olly" on his skateboard. She asked my mom about it, who explained that the boy was having trouble landing on the board. Emma replied, "oh well, some days are like that."
She is working on phonics, and beginning to sound out basic words (yeah for Hop on Pop). She loves to practice her ballet, and read the book I got from the library about Ballet Class...little did I know I would butcher the French language while reading it to her (who knows what develope a la seconde and portes de bras is??)

Caleb told Ben yesterday, "I don't want you to go to work...I want you to stay here because I love you." Caleb still loves to play cars all day, but also enjoys coloring and is recognizing many of his letters (his favorite is H).

Noah is generally only getting up once during the night, which is great. He has a little cough right now, but he smiles alot, and has giggled a couple of times for daddy only.

Ben has been working for Daley Landscape right now, and was supposed to start working for his dad's drilling company next week, but I think that's been postponed. He is still looking for a more permanent position, and there's a couple of things he really hopes will work out. We still have the house in Crestline, and recently turned it over to a property management company to try and get it rented out. In the meantime, we are still living at my parent's house while trying to keep up with the mortgage payments on the Crestline house. I think that's about it for now...we appreciate your love and prayers.

What a blogger I am...

Okay so I am laughing so hard, I am about to fall off my chair. Evidently, I had some setting that meant that I was supposed to moderate the comments or something, and then allow them to be posted. I was thinking, wow, I used to at least see comments from Becky and Lisa Stryker, but nothing for so long....

Anyway, I found them and now I am going to go about the business of catching up on these comments. Love you all, and thanks for caring enough to read this. He, he.

Tagged by Becky

A- Available or married? Married, seven years next month.

B- Best Friend? Becky, when I read that I cried. Seriously. I am actually still crying. I miss you so much right now...but anyway, I have to agree that husbands always have to take the best friend spot since they really see us at our worst, and maybe even sometimes, at our best, and everything in between.

C- Cake or Pie? Chocolate cake with ice cream and hot fudge

D- Drink of Choice? Used to be chai latte, but I finally figured out that it's so much less calories to just make chai tea and add honey and milk.

E- Essential Item? Patience. Although I often find myself without it...

F- Favorite Color? Depends on what we're talking about. But in Crestline, Ben and I painted our bedroom a really dark, rich brown. Sounds weird I know, but the room was huge, so it could handle it. Anyway, it always felt pretty calm in there. And warm.

G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Neither really...

H- Hometown? This world is not my home....I'm not saying that to be all churchy, it's just that I feel pretty out of place right now, and I'm not quite sure where home is...but I was born in Ojai, CA

I- Indulgence? Aquafina...but the ones I dream about are sleeping in, and an afternoon alone at Starbuck's

J- January or February? February

K- Kids & names? Emma, Caleb, and Noah

L- Life is incomplete without? pain, growth, love, hope

M- Marriage Date? Feb. 2000

N- Number of Siblings? Brothers Shane, Mark, and Scott

O- Oranges or apples? Clementine oranges and Fuji apples

P- Phobias/Fears? Automatic windows vs. my kids' body parts. Fear-failing miserably, which I've done, so you would think I wouldn't be afraid anymore

Q- Favorite Quote?
"I caannot live without loving You..."

Hind's Feet on High Places-by Hannah Hurnard, Much Afraid speaking of The Good Shepherd
R- Reason to Smile? Noah smiles back now!

S- Season? Spring

T- Tag three people!
I'm not sure three people read this...

U- Unknown fact about me: I never moved in my entire life until I got married. Now, I've moved 4 times in eighteen months.

V- Vegetable you hate? Onions

W- Worst habit? Putting too much pressure on myself.

Y- Your favorite food? Oh, but there are SO many...

Z- Zodiac? Libra. Not into it. (I copied you but that's cuz my answer is the same.)

Introductions, and Ballet

Yesterday, my brother's friend was over, and Caleb and Emma ran into the door way so they could see who was here. Caleb politely introduced himself, "I'm Caleb, and this is my friend, Emma."

Emma spends at least half an hour every day working on her ballet. Yes, she puts on her tights, her leotard, her ballet slippers, and then dances away with Bella Dancerella. I was so impressed by her dedication to ballet that I tried to find her a class here in town...and wouldn't you know it? Ojai doesn't have ballet lessons anymore. Oh well...