Last week was Vacation Bible School at our church and I helped in the 4, 5, and 6 year old class all week. I was a little apprehensive at first because that meant I’d be following my own children all week and I just wasn’t sure that was a good idea, however, I do like to observe how they behave and interact with other kids in that kind of setting. We had a great week. The weather held out all week long and all of the kids had a blast. I suppose, before I go any further, I should tell you a little bit about Joshua (my six year old).

Joshua is a tender hearted child. He is sensitive, yet still a man’s man. He loves to do anything and everything that Daddy does. He loves singing…so much so, that when he learns a new worship song, he likes to write the chorus down and hang it in his room.  Joshua has asked about the meaning of the Lord’s Supper on many occasions and often insists that Jesus is ALEADY in his heart, so why can’t he participate? Joshua can tell you all about the birth of Jesus, miracles He performed while on the Earth, his death on the cross, and his resurrection three days later. He understands that Jesus is God’s son, but Jesus also IS God. His understanding, and ability to retell the story of Christ, at the age of six, has always amazed me. His faith is truly that of a child. If someone is hurt or sick, Joshua’s first response is to pray for them because he has the faith that if you ask, Jesus will hear, and many times will answer with healing. Joshua ministers to me through his faith and sincere desire for more understanding on a regular basis. This is why Friday night was so precious to me….

…at the end of their very last class in VBS last night, the teacher asked if anyone would like to pray and ask Jesus into their hearts. Joshua turned and looked at me with the hope of “permission” in his eyes. I nodded and he shot his hand up in the air. His teacher, being a dear friend of mine, looked at me with tears in her eyes, and directed Joshua to come and sit with Mommy so we could pray together. About five other children prayed to receive Christ as well. As Joshua sat beside me, I took his hand and fully planned on helping him say the prayer of salvation. Much to my surprise, Joshua closed his eyes and began to pray by himself. This is what he prayed,

“Lord Jesus, please come into my heart. Thank you for dying on the cross and coming back to life so I could have life. I promise I’ll do anything you tell me to. Thank you for taking my sins. And please come into the other kids’ hearts who love you too! And if some of the kids don’t love you yet, but they change their minds later, will you come into their hearts too? I love you Jesus. Amen.”

Yes, I was bawling.
What an incredible little boy with an amazing destiny for the kingdom of God.

Jesse just happened to be spending the night at his Mimi’s last night and chose to miss the last night of VBS, so Joshua was able to have this night to himself.  However, when we got in the car to drive home, he got on my cell phone and called Jesse to share the news with him…and Mimi, and Papa, and Nana and Grandpa. We’re so proud of him.
He now has a new kind of birthday. The day he was birthed into the kingdom of God and became a child of the king. June 12, 2009 will be in my heart forever.

~audrey

So my day started off busy, as usual. By 11:00 I was rushing to the store to buy food I had volunteered to bring to a post-funeral meal at our church (not exactly something you can be late for!) A cop on a motorcycle followed me ALL THE WAY from the grocery store to the church parking lot (about 10 minutes!). I guess he was one of the scheduled escorts for the funeral, but good grief, he was making me nervous! As I zipped into the church parking lot to drop off the food, I instructed Joshua to lock the doors behind me as I ran inside for literally ten seconds. I hopped out of the car and all of the sudden, the car began to lurch forward into the bushes!!!!! Apparently, in all my stress and nerves from being in a hurry and being tailed by a cop, I forgot to put the van in PARK!?! Did I mention there were SEVEN cops in the church parking lot…all sitting outside their cars, watching the entire thing?! Well, the bushes were only slightly mangled and I dropped the food off and QUICKLY left the church before giving the cops a chance to decide whether or not I was an escaped mental patient. From there we drove through McDonalds to appease my three squirmy children, who would have much rather spent the day by the pool. As we sat in the drive-thru line, three fire trucks and another emergency vehicle flew by with sirens blaring and lights flashing. Of course, being the drama-loving, adventure-craving person that I am, I peeled out of that parking lot as if I were part of the rescue and proceeded to follow them!! They all turned down a street that, of course, was labeled “NO OUTLET”. Without hesitation, I followed them down that street as well. Unfortunately, there was no action to be seen. And even worse, there was no convenient place to turn around and when I did finally decide on the perfect driveway to make my U-turn, the firemen were all staring at me…waiting…so they, too, could turn their big huge trucks around. I thought for sure one of them was going to come over to my car and give me a tongue lashing for obviously following them down a dead end road just for the sake of being nosey. Luckily, I was wrong.
Today was just ONE OF THOSE DAYS.
It is 3:30pm. I need to cut Owen’s hair, give all three boys a bath, cut all of their nails (YUCK!), and somehow manage to get MYSELF in the shower and ready in the next TWO HOURS!?!
I better go.
~audrey

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned my love for “Master Lists” in the past. I have a master dinner menu, a master lunch menu, a master schedule for my household, and a master packing list. Of all of those lists, I probably use the master packing list the least simply because we don’t go out of town as a family more than two or three times a year. However, when we do go out of town, it is my saving grace! Packing for a family with children, or even worse, a baby, is quite a challenge. If you’re going far from home and will be gone for more than two or three days, there are a LOT of things you must pack to insure a successful trip…and I’m only thinking about the car ride so far! There’s the portable DVD player, movies, puzzles, coloring books, snacks, a roll of paper towels (in my “emergency bin” in the back of the van), my children love Adventure in Odyssey cd’s, so we pack a bunch of those for the car as well. Then there are the items that will not go in a bag: beach chairs, pack-n-play, bikes, and a laundry basket (I always bring a laundry basket on trips where I’m required to bring my own linens or towels. It makes laundering a lot easier). I have a great, square laundry basket that fits perfectly into our van for trips.
Of course your master packing list also has all of the “normal” items you’d take on a trip. Everything from underwear and socks to how many outfits and a detailed toilettries list. For each trip, you can cross off items that you won’t need to bring and you can add a number by specific items, like how many diapers you’re estimating you’ll need for a six day trip with a one year old! This list doesn’t solve all of your packing problems, but it is a really great start and almost guarantees you will not forget anything. If you have children, it is always a smart idea to pack a first aid kit with children’s medicine in it. For my family, we always pack tylenol, motrin, benadryl, benadryl gel, bandaids, and tea tree oil (takes the sting out of bug bites, burns, scrapes, etc.)
It is a great idea to pull your master packing list out and start altering it weeks before your scheduled trip. Try to think of as much in advance as possible. If you know you’d like to do a load of laundry or two while you’re there, put a few scoops of your own laundry detergent in a gallon ziploc bag and throw it in your suitcase. One less thing you’ll have to spend money on when you get there! Go the extra mile and buy travel sized items. This is an inexpensive way to save space in your luggage and if you designate a place for travel items in your household, you shouldn’t have to buy them again, you can simply refill them.
Some of you may already do this, but if not, I’m about to save you a LOT of time when you get home…wash as much of your laundry as possible the day or two before you leave. It is AMAZING how much easier it makes unpacking. You can put everything back in their place, return the suitcases back to the attic, and take a deep breath because you don’t have a mountain of laundry to do!
I’m saying all of this because my family is going on our annual vacation to my mother-in-law’s family reunion in just four short weeks. We look forward to this trip every year. It is a LOT of fun. I start altering/adding to my master packing list at least a month in advance. I make a grocery list and estimate the total price of the items I have listed. We do not eat fast food unless we absolutely have to. I calculate the mileage and figure out how much we can expect to spend on gas, and then there is spending money that also must be accounted for in the budget. It sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn’t. I usually work on the list and the budget after the kids go to bed and my hubby and I are watching TV or reading in bed. That is the advantage of starting several weeks in advance. You will almost definitely think of EVERYTHING! The more detailed you get, the more time and money you will save.  If you aren’t already like this, your husband will be shocked, impressed, and grateful!
I hope this helped get you motivated to be a “master packer” for your next trip. When you make your “Master Packing List”, put it in a word document and save it on your computer. Everytime you go on a trip, print it out and start from there!
Have a WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY!!

~audrey