Thanksgiving Break

What a great Thanksgiving break we had. The highlights were:
-Jackson getting a week off of school.
-Mom and Dad coming for the week.
-Taking Mom and Dad to Camp Barnabas to see our new summer home.
-A lovely meal at the "Monet Family Restaurant" coming home from Purdy Missouri. It was quite the crowd and we all ordered the $3.99 Chicken Fried Steak Dinner.
-Going to Fuji's our favorite Japanese restaurant
-Getting up early Thanksgiving morning with Dad and Jason to run in the Turkey Trot (and yes I ran the whole way but got left at about mile 2 by my husband and his friend).
-Jackson all week planned out a Wii tournament and even made a sheet with brackets.
-After the Wii tournament was over Jackson made everyone medals.
-My Dad winning the Wii tournament- seriously who knew Pops even played video games?
-Getting all the Christmas decorations out of the attic and then up in the house.
-My Mom taking Mollie Jane to get a haircut. I think she thinks by cutting it she will have thick beautiful hair and unfortunately Mollie Jane got my hair and I got my Mom's hair. It is a treat for my Mom to take Mollie Jane to get her hair cut. She loves it. However, I think Mollie Jane's hair is genetic. Poor child
-Mollie Jane had a Thanksgiving party at her school and loved that Jackson got to come and do a craft with her.
-Mom helping me clean house, do laundry, take care of the animals and run errands. She is such a help to me.
-Jason and I getting to take a much needed date movie night.
-A fabulous meal at my cousin Julie and her husband Tim who live here in Springfield.
They are so incredibly gracious and good to Jason and I and the kids. Her high school son Camp and her Jr High daughter Claire love my kids. My kids think they hung the moon.
-What a year we have to be thankful for. Many ups and downs but a God who has brought us through and reminded us that he has such a plan for our family (even though sometimes we can't quite see it).

Jackson's Cub Scout Hero Report

Jackson is loving Cub Scouts. We have had to miss a lot due to Jason's crazy schedule. Yet, we are determined to fulfill the requirements and do it even if it means me doing it with him along with the other two. Last meeting I took all the kids and Mollie Jane and Smith both did good but it definitely got akward when I had to breastfeed at the meeting. I went into another room with the door open so I could hear what was going on. Jackson kept coming in there to tell me things and then his little friends would follow him. Thank God for the hooter hider and that none of the little boys asked what was going on. After that I decided Jason really needs to take him to the meetings so there won't be a badge earned for watching Jackson's Mom breastfeed.
This week Jackson had to do a talk on a hero. He has to get up and talk about his hero. He choose Jason. He wrote his report all by himself with 11 points. I love the invented spelling. He was the only one that really wrote down what he was going to say in a report form. He was very proud of his Dad and even took some props in to talk about his Dad. Priceless.
1. My Dad is in the Army.
2. My Dad is so grate.
3. He was a pilot.
4. My Dad is strong.
5. He duzent get scard varee much. So he is brave.
6. He ckeps his bodee helthy.
7. My Dad loves Jesus.
8.He is a wrckr and he bilds houses.
9. He works at camp brnbuves.
10. He was a good swimr at Drury.
11. He is my Herow.
As he was constructing it here were some funny thoughts
Jackson-"My Dad loves Jesus because he wants to go to heaven and not Hell. It is super hot in Hell"
I didn't think that the cub scouts needed to get into theology so I encouraged him to just stop at My Dad loves Jesus.
Jackson- My Dad keeps his body healthy by eating brocolli.

Another Adventure

We are happy to announce the Brawners are up for a new adventure. Is anyone really surprised? I doubt my kids are. After much prayerful consideration, many late night conversations and just an overall feeling of peace Jason decided to take a new position as Director of Camp Barnabus in Purdy Missouri. That's right this Texan is moving to Purdy Missouri but only from mid May to early August. www.campbarnabus.org
It is a Kanakuk for kids with all different types of special needs. We are very excited and both Jason and I felt a clear calling that this is where God wants us to be. I have worked with children for so many years and some of the greatest kids I have ever met are those who have sibling with special needs. I think God gives those children compassion, understanding and perspective that is way beyond their years. I pray that my children develop these traits and that God will help them to use these traits for his glory in their life. I feel that our family has an opportunity that so few people never get or can only imagine. I know we were hand picked to do this job. While Jason was doing officer school for the Army this September we decided that Jason's current job as a contractor was not meeting our families needs. He loved it but with a crazy economy and his job seemed to be going in a slow continual negative financial direction. We both agreed for him to look elsewhere. Paul and Cindy Teas the owners of the Camp offered to help me out while Jason was gone. They adore our kids and have such spirits of servant hood. Cindy began to tell me of the unusual circumstances of their old director resigning and they were looking for someone else. I thought it was strange timing for Cindy and I to have that conversation since the night before Jason and I on the phone committed to actively look for something else for him. Jason called Paul Teas the next day while still in South Carolina and talked with him. When he came back in October, he met with them and here we are. God sure surprised us but I know He sees our needs much clearer that we can see them. We prayed that God would help us and directly take our family out of this declining economy and bless Jason with a job that would provide for our family. God answered our prayer. I feel very clearly He told us that he is not going to give us the exact financial blessing we desire but instead will emotionally bless us beyond our wildest dreams. So begins this amazing adventure to becoming directors at Camp Barnabus. While I am not employed by Barnabus, I will be very involved and just keeping us with my three kids as we live there this summer will be lots of fun. We are praying that Jason can continue building (during the year cauz our summers are now full) because he so enjoys it and when it is successfull it can be a big financial blessing. I have said this many times, I don't feel that I have this enormous blog following (unlike some of you) so my point for this blog is for my kids. Hopefully, they will know that their Mom and Dad sure don't have all the answers. But instead that we listen and answer to a God that does. Just as we accepted this new position, we are not sure what God's answer is for us with our current financial situation or how God is going to heal us from some of the craziness of the last several years. Yet, we hear his voice. He is telling us that He is in control and wants to bless us in a way we weren't necessarily thinking but also could never imagine. What is important is to listen to God when he is calling even if you are unsure of the outcome. Sometimes I think God puts a verse in the Bible just for me and so it is with this verse. Jer 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." So once again I say, Lord, let the adventure begin.

Happy Halloween

Jackson was a shark eating a man, Mollie Jane was a mermaid and Smith was a lobster. As they are getting older they each have their own ideas but this year it just worked that we all fit into the same "ocean theme" and I loved it. We definitely got to wear our costumes multiple times this year. We went to a party at the club, school parties, a neighborhood parade, and had a blast trick or treating in the neighborhood. The weather was gorgeous and Halloween seemed extra fun this year since it feel on a Saturday. Big and SueSue even came up and trick or treated and had chicken stew with us. The kids are such great ages and they were just so excited. Jackson was of course "all business" when it came to passing out candy at our door to the trick or treaters. Mollie Jane was all about her own candy bag and how full it was getting. Smith was enamored with all the people and lights and action. His eyes were wide open the whole night. When I asked them their favorite part of Halloween this year, they both said "candy time." Our new fun "candy time" tradition is when our porch light goes out and all the candy we are giving out and have received get dumped into one gigantic bowl and it is a free for all. Jackson (typical first born) takes one piece at a time and shows them all to me and after about three or four pieces asks me if he can still have another piece. Mollie Jane does no asking, just grabbing and as much candy as she can in her tiny hands, opening it as fast as she can and gobbles it up. This goes on about 5-10 minutes and it happened periodically until a few days after Halloween when I started feeling gross. I took it all to my office to pass out to my kid clients. The kids and Mommy were both a little sad to see it go but we are looking forward to "candy time" again next year.