My heart is heavy today. So as I come to you my children, I would ask you to join with me in lifting Grandma and Grandpa and Tony up to God. My prayer is that God would infuse them with His power in a way that is so obviously Him that we can only praise Him. Also that Tony would hear His call, and surrender! May Tony's chains of bondage be broken as he feels his brokenness. We are family and one who loves the Lord. Our prayers make a difference! Don't forget to pray for Ellen as well. We will all have a rough road ahead. May it be the one that God has put us on. From Psalm 40: I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what He has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

The whole psalm is great. I encourage you to read it. On a side note, today is Grandpa and Grandma's 54th wedding anniversary. May their love of God and family see them through today!

Crazy August

So, yea, Kristi said that we aren't doing well catching up on the phone. I know exactly why... August is a crazy month if you're coaching tennis, and right now 3 of us are! Add in that Kristine and I just started the school year. I love tennis season, and the start of school, but it does cause the kind of busyness that I'm glad is contained to this one month.

As far as prayer requests go, my tennis team should be REALLY good this year, and that's causing me a bit more stress than if we were going to be bad. The higher expectations are making me stressed rather than causing me to enjoy the season. So I would pray that I can enjoy the season and help the guys play to their potential.

Also, I need prayer for my priorities. It takes a lot of focus during a season in which my team is succeeded to put God first, family second, tennis and other things behind that. I have obligations during the season, but I don't want to be so focused on tennis that I bring it home every night to the detriment of my relationship with Courtney and the boys.

Speaking of the boys, they are really super cute in case you didn't know that yet. This past weekend we spent Sunday at the Nussbaum's house on the lake, and Gideon loved it. We tried to get him to go tubing, but he was too scared. He wouldn't even ride in the boat. But now at home we likes to pretend that he is tubing. Last night, we pulled off the cover of his toy chest, turned it over, got on his knees on top of it and said that he was tubing. Then he made me get on it to and tube with him. But as soon as I got up on it, he pushed me off. He said he was tubing like Uncle Andrew!

And Judah is still a beautiful baby. When he was born he was a little fussier than Gideon had been, but now he is all smiles. He is also sleeping through the night already, maybe getting up once to feed, but that is nice. And he's still got the chunky cheeks that are impossible not to kiss. Last night at the tennis match he was cooing and laughing when Courtney and I were talking to him. It's fun to watch him grow.

Courtney is doing well, but really dreading going back to work. That would be her prayer request. I think that having a summer with the boys has motivated her to try to find a career path that would somehow let her stay home even more with the boys. She's thinking about maybe going back to school for something, but the amount of money that would cost and the time away from the boys to do that is a bit scary to her (and me). So we could use prayer for those situations.

Okay, time to get ready for school this morning! I love you all!

Matt.

Just a thought, but when we have a new post maybe we should put a note on facebook? I think we have gotten out of the habit of checking this sight. Since Kristi listed her prayer requests I will too. My #1 request is that God would use me in His power to be the look and the face of Christ. Kind of a makeover of the Jesus kind!

Not apathetic...

Just a little busy to spend time at work on the blog! :) And of course, after work I stay as far away from the computer as I can.

I have been a little stressed out as of late--August is crazy, but Sept. should hopefully be slightly better with a week in North Carolina (part of which will be vacation). We'll see how that turns out as we are there to be in a wedding and I'm sure it will be crazy with all that needs to get done.

I miss all of you terribly and it seems that besides mom and dad, we aren't doing well at catching up via phone! I know that it is hard with all of our busy schedules and the time change as well. I am trying to get Christmas worked out, but it is difficult with me being new here and working with everyone else's time frame. We will be home either the week before, the week after, or the week of...just not sure which yet. My boss is on vacation until Monday and then I will try to grab her to see what it's looking like for the best option.

What else....here are prayer requests:
1) Ryan's job--he is at a stand still at work and would like to move forward in some capacity
2) My work with Wilhelmina--I finish the last of my four photo shoots on the 29th and then will start being contracted for work. Pray it brings creative relief for me and some extra money as we are desperate for anything and always pinching pennies.
3) The level of stress I have felt recently. I am ready to not have a to-do list, to not be worried about finances, and to not have to "schedule" alone time with Ryan. I am increasingly overwhelmed and am trying to pray and get support, but it is hard, especially the past month.
4) Blossoming friendships here....we have a lot of great friends, but I would like to see these friendships deepen, especially my friendships with the women.

I think that's about it for now. Love you all very much and know that you are constantly on my mind.

XOXOXO,
KLM

Is we? How about if we.

No replies! How can we stay close is we are apathetic. Please let me know that you are out there.

Musings of a mom

Oh, how I am missing the days of getting you kids ready for school! Finding the times and days to take each of you shopping and knowing that each of your personalities would show themselves. There was always the possibility that I would have to eat at Cheddar's or Don Pablo's three days in a row. But I was willing to sacrifice for the "greater good" of having my children prepared for school! Now fast forward many years and some of my children (Matthew, Andrew, and Kristine) are still preparing for school, but not with my help and not as students, but as teacher/coaches. What an awesome chance to influence our world through those young lives.

All of this musing to say that I am missing you all! Kristi is on an airplane as I blog headed to South Carolina for Megan's bachlorette party and Ryan is at home missing her I am sure. Matthew has his first teaching day today and of course Courtney is continuing to "teach her children well" at home. Andrew and Kristine are winding down private lessons this week as the gear up for team play and teaching! That brings us to your dad and I. Your dad continues to struggle with the changes that are happening in health care and how he will allow them to effect him. He did purchase a new computer system that is being installed. The "go live" date is the first part of October. The bigger issue now is whether or not he should pursue employment by the hospital and what that might look like. We are trying to hear from God and would also ask that you would be in prayer for us. I would love to hear from all of you as we share what is happening in our lives.

I am busy helping grandma with painting at her house. We have many decisions that need to be made there as well. Some of these decisions will probably be discussed this next week as Phil will be here.

Can I just say that I hate going 6 months without all of us being together! I love you all and would challenge you all to BLOG, BLOG, BLOG!

In Response

Post, post, post! So here I go. I've been thinking a lot about all of you lately. Of course, you all know that we just got back from vacation in Florida. Being away with my family made me think of the things that we would do to relax as a family. Also, I just spent a good week with Andrew (and seeing Kristine a little bit), coaching tennis together was a ton of fun and I know that Andrew has a talent in communicating with kids of high school age. On top of that, I've been writing poems about all of you for a Christmas collection that I hope to have done this year.

So I thought for fun that I'd give you a taste of some of your poems. These are just for the siblings, and siblings in law right now. Just one line... to wet your appetite...

{The / are line breaks in the poem}

Kristi - "...Welcome, you smile / traverse the muddy peak beside them. No one should / face the summit nor the valleys alone."

Ryan - "And really, your wife didn’t pop into the Gold Pan / to shoot pool with you; she wouldn’t have given her number / but for your Flaming Lip’s tee..."

Andrew - "So stand unmoving, like the elder trees down by Wildcat Creek. Sit at your kitchen table, watch the morning that the grass receives, weigh reality."

Kristine - "Changes in scenery, / torn roots to deep rose sunrise, mold / the inner worth."

So, I hope you like these little bits. I love you all so much. Hope to talk to you soon!

Matt.