The Attack...

...of the killer rabbits.

Let me backtrack a bit. I arrived home (Kansas a.k.a. el mejor estado en todos Los Estados) on Friday after a sufficiently harranguing flight schedule (running through an airport terminal to make your flight which is leaving in 2.5 minutes is decidedly NOT a good idea). Dad came to pick me up Saturday morning in KC, and we headed for Hazelton after having lunch with my friend, Sarah.

I cannot even tell you how excited I was to be home (and still am... lol), but it was amazing to pass through the Kansas plain and see the vivid green shoots of wheat growing on every field while the sky stretches, seemingly endless, unobstructed by buildings or mountains.

Anyway... I arrived home (surprising my sister for her birthday) and was told, once again, about the new "grandchildren." These grandchildren are named Oreo and Butterscotch, are the new delight of my mother, and are - of course, what else could they be? - rabbits.

However, these are not ordinary rabbits... oh no. These are killer rabbits with "long, sharp and pointy teeth" (I think somehow related to the killer rabbit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail), and I'm pretty sure... they hated me.

Mom feeding carrots to the killer rabbits... this was right before the attack.

The result of the battle fought - and lost - with the rabbits.

Holding him ever-so-gently, Oreo suddenly lunged and bit the inside of my arm. I responded by jerking his head away from my arm. He retaliated by ripping his hind feet into my hand (yes... there was blood), lunging again, and biting my arm a second time.

It was not cool. Foiled by a bunny. I thought I was so good with animals... ;)

Chelsie came outside and decided to try her luck with Butterscotch. His lunging abilities must not have been quite as quick because he didn't actually bite Chel's chin... although he tried. I don't know what Mom has been feeding these killer animals... ;)

Walking Time with the Rabbits:

Mom has harnasses to "walk" the rabbits... which essentially means they hop around, tie themselves in knots, hop full speed to the end of the tether and give themselves whiplash... and other fun things such as this (I should mention here that the rabbits love my mother, and that she really is very good to them). On top, Chel is posing with her thought of how we could throw the rabbits (we didn't... don't worry), and on the bottom, Chel and I "rabbit watching" with our leashes. As you can see, this was almost too exciting... lol.

After trying to make friends with the rabbits, and being completely rejected, I have decided not to waste any more effort (for now) attempting reconciliation. Instead, I will devote all my time to the best dog in the entire world... meet Pepper. Or, as we often refer to him (think slightly annoying, baby-accented speech here) Puppy Dog.

And so ends the rabbit attack session.

Chelsie's 20th Birthday:

These were two incredibly funny gifts Chel received last weekend... #1 The Art of the Bonsai Potato (a gift that I could not pass up giving her since I knew how much she appreciates the feng-shui of inner harmony... especially when exemplified in a potato spud... lol) and #2 the Hot Dog Toaster... five-minute meals indeed, Chel... lol.

Church Kids:

Church on Sunday was lots of fun... the Stewart kids (a family of nine) make our lives very joyful!!! After Tif and Chel returned from Magdalena in January, Chelsie taught the Sunday School kids to sing "La Infanteria" (The Infantry) in Spanish. So they performed on video for me so I can take it back and show our kids at CVE... their pronunciation was pretty good!

At left, Tif and Chel with three of the Stewart kidlets - Josh, Sterling, and Kaleigh. At right, Alli, Gabe, and Kaleigh play in the nursery after church.

So maybe Grandpa is right...

Every time I come home, it rains... and rains. It rained all day today and is still thundering and storming as I write this up. Dad said 1 3/4, Grandpa said 2 1/2... lots of water.

So... I decided to "brave" the rain tonight anyway, and go out to the trailer that has all my books stored in it. I prepared myself for the deluge and the mud by putting on Dad's shoes, Dad's jacket, and brandishing our humongous flashlight (which perhaps makes a better weapon than a source of light) in a manner that I'm sure is very threatening... ;)

Photomania...

For some reason, I feel like the last few weeks have actually lasted a year... so many things have happened, and praise the Lord that He has been with us through them all!

(See Amy's blog for details... thanks for keeping things updated, Ames!)

So... this is a fun update of some activities that have made me smile, and has (please gasp in amazement) eighteen... that's right... eighteen photos for your viewing pleasure... ;)

Recommended reading: In two or three sittings, maybe??? lol...

Eduardo after eating pudding... perhaps "eating pudding" is too tame, and "consuming," "wallowing-in," or "liberally smearing" are more fitted to the sight... lol

The other afternoon Jenean had started watering one of the trees in the yard (and the yard itself), and it made this fabulous water-hole. Jenna decided that the boys needed to go swimming... and so they did! Who needs a Slip-n-slide when you can just have a pond from the hose??? ;) I'll try to describe the pics above:

1. After "swimming" - the pants were sagging, the diapers were showing, and this is what our CVE hoodlums look like... pretty ferocious, huh??? lol...
2. Off to a running start - the four boys (minus Edi) charge through the water, splashing and then inevitably crashing facedown into the small lake...
3. Saturation - the boys seemed to enjoy the novel sensation of their diapers filling up with water... maybe that's not such a "novel" sensation... lol
4. "Horsie" - Timi was making horse-snorting noises and crawling around on his hands and knees in the water... I caught him mid-snort in this photo... ;)

Doo-Raggedy-ness: A pink handkerchief came out the other night, and naturally the camera followed! I actually have many, many incriminating pictures of Joel wearing this pink accessory (since the girls were having a great time "decorating" him), but made the decision to only include the "best"... lol. Pictured above:

1. Cowboy up - Eduardo sits on Jenna's lap, wearing his "cowboy" kerchief...
2. Joel and Eli - the "elfin" pose of the photo shoot, and probably (I don't think I'm too far off here) the pose that best describes Joel's nature... ;)
3. Joel again - I have no comments... please just enjoy the novelty of him looking like this... lol
4. Seth found another use for the doo-rag; and we promise no one was seriously hurt in the taking or making of this photo... lol

The Flower Boys:
Today Jenna headed up to Tucson to pick up her brother, and I was able to spend some time with the five little guys. Coming back outside with a cup of coffee, I found handfuls of flower petals on my chair, and looking around I saw five little bodies, ten little hands clutched full of flower petals and buds, running toward me from the rose bushes along the fence.
There is a reason flowers do not grow here... lol.
They picked the flowers to give to me, and so I sat down and watched as mutilated petal after petal was placed in my lap, and winced a little as flower buds, twigs, and petals were entwined in my hair to make it "pretty." Suggesting that we should share this wealth with someone else (I think they might have ripped off about 10 flowers and 15 or so new buds), I sent them to the school-room to give flowers to Denise as well...
And although the manner was rather brutal... they were beautiful flowers to receive... lol... and Jenna is going to kill me because her rose bushes are never going to bloom now... ;)

Crowned with flowers... how lucky can you be??? lol...

After the flower incident, the boys decided to play with the geranium flower pots... which of course make better hats than pots any day! Above, Timi and Moises pose with their "hats" on, as Eduardo sits in the background eating catfood...

Pictured above:
1. Eduardo with his "hat"... this was taken right before he stuck his head through the fence, the "hat" fell off, his ears got stuck coming back through and he couldn't move, and... I must admit I laughed hysterically... lol
2. I would like to title this, "Trouble" since I am sure that in the future it will be... Timi and Moises were insistent that we needed more water today to help the flowers... or to help the flowers drown, I think...
3. Vegetarians in the making... the boys all gathered up weeds to "cook" and had an assembly line of the vegetarian platters; all while wearing their flower pots... life is beautiful... ;)
4. There weren't enough geranium pots, so Gabriel resorted to a parts box... whatever works, right?!?

Andres quickly found a new use for his geranium pot... it helped hold on his hair!
"We are girls," he told Seth as we walked around outside and he and Timi and Gabriel draped rags atop their little heads under the flower pots... to which Seth replied, "Ummm... yeah, I think they need some masculine influence!"

Whatever for??? ;)

The Birthday Boy's Lesson...

... about the wide, wide, mysterious world of "soothing women's emotions" ;)

Yesterday was Seth's 25th birthday - an age where one is to be very, very wise in all matters - and Amy and Jenna came up with a gift "from the ladies" that would help our dear friend achieve this level of wisdom...

So... after getting all the kiddies to bed, Seth entered the kitchen to open his "gift of wisdom" in front of "the ladies"...

Carissa made Oreo milkshakes, and we put a candle in Seth's... this was almost a failed attempt since the flaming candle started to sink beneath the creamed Oreo's... but we managed to get a picture and he blew it out just in the nick of time...

Jenna found some amazing... let me repeat amazing... wrapping paper for Seth's gift... we believe that he was utterly delighted with it's Strawberry-Shortcake resemblance, and can't help wondering whether he was partial to the doll when he was younger??? ;)

The Wisdom Committee - Seth covers his face in feigned dismay as "the ladies" sit watching his introduction to SoothingwithChocolate101. From L-R: Seth, Nicole, Carissa, Amy, and Jenna...

Prize Gift #1: "Hershey's Hugs... now you can feel free to give us hugs!"

Prize Gift #2: The Visine Tears...

"'Weep with those who weep...' Now you have tears so you can!"

The contents of Seth's Wisdom Kit (which wasn't necessarily for Seth):

1. Airheads (with our names on every Airhead)... do we have to explain?

2. Assorted Chocolates... for when we're cranky! (Never?!)

3. Mentioned above - the Hershey's Hugs!

4. Advil... I'm sure that we give you headaches!

5. Earplugs... for when you just do not want to hear (and listen) to us anymore!

6. Riesen... just in case you need a reason to get emotional!

7. Handkerchiefs... hmmm... can you think of a time you might need these?

8. Mentioned above - the Visine Tears!

9. A shirt - which was indeed for Seth... ;)

The most encouraging thing about this evening was Seth's ability (almost inherent... one has to wonder if he secretly has been practicing these "forgive-me/don't-cry" moments for awhile) to pick up on this wisdom that was so affectionately given to him... lol.

For example:

"So, Seth... it's been a long day..." Jenna sighed, and immediately (without seeming to give it a second thought) Seth reached for the bag of Hershey's hugs, ripped it open, and handed her a hug.

He then followed this caring display by stating, "I'm in a huggy mood... does anyone else need a hug?" and proffering the opened bag to the rest of the ladies present...

I think his training is progressing well... lol

And it's almost time to start planning again... we have another birthday next month for Mr. Joel... ;)

Happy Birthday again, Seth!

Thanks for letting us have some fun at your expense... ;)

Todo el cuerpo...

My roommate thought I was crazy the other night as I walked around our casita, snapping photos of colors, patterns, objects... crawling under beds, taking twenty photos of the dish-towel, almost falling to my death as I balanced atop the "twisty chairs" for a new perspective.

Do you ever have those moments??? When suddenly it is not only "fun" to experiment with colors, it is "necessary"??? Who knows if that shade of blue will ever look the same again???

As I look around some days, I see all the patterns that we, as a people, have created... the colors we propose to have invented... the order in which things fit into our lives. Things we choose, we think we create, we design to fit our world "just so." If the color, object, pattern doesn't fit into our world, our lives, we casually discard it... leaving it for someone else.

I am so glad that our Father in heaven doesn't do that... that His "tastes" don't run in racist, purist, or elitist directions. Who would be able to make the cut? Certainly not I.

As Isaiah 64:8 says, "... O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand."

We all are the work of His hand... not part of us, some of us, the ones who have blue eyes, or only those who are dark-skinned. All of us... designed for His purpose, His use, with the Master Potter's hand. And each of us has our own role to fulfill, our own talents to bring... our own mistakes with which we can royally mess up.

It seems that talk about the "body" of believer's has been coming up quite a bit lately... about the place of each and every person as a living, moving, vital member of that body. How without working in accord, the body is pulled apart - literally at the seams. Disintegrated from within, bursting without. Unable to function because of a disjointed effort at Unity.

I Corinthians 12:12 says, "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ."

If we are striving to be Christ-like, and Christ is as one with a healthy, unified body of believers, it makes sense that we would strive together for a common goal, a common desire... and that when one member of the body is weak, that the rest should help ease the burden, suffer with the same suffering...

Ephesians 4:16 reminds us that, "[Christ] From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

We are working together to edify the "body" unto God... the edification of His holy works, grace, and love. If we, as the body, cannot work together, and instead falter in our footsteps, our outreaches, our love... how will we be able to convince others that they should become part of the body of Christ?

This is not to say that we will be perfect - we all know we're far from that. But if we cannot lift one another up, forgive, and love again... Christ's body is not moving, reaching out, giving hope. We are stuck trying to repair the gaping divisions among us, and never look beyond to others who have a need and a desire for God's love.

My prayer for each of us is that we can fulfill our part in the body of Christ... and that we can continually learn to give ourselves to His keeping and molding... even if that means breaking us down into the smallest particles and beginning all over again.

If we all have our eyes on the Father, and our hearts and souls following His guidance... the body will not falter. And the love of Christ, His glorious salvation, can continue to go forth in truth and in sincerity.