Coney Chronicles volume 2

As with most things I start…. Something happened…. And I skipped a year.

The last installment of the Coney Chronicles was written in January of 2008... It is now 2010. ( Well really it is 2009 still, I am getting a head start.)

Much has happened in these last 2 years. I will attempt to re-cap. 2008 started out normal enough, Evan was a Freshman in High School, Tayler finishing her last year of Junior High, and Hunter was in the First Grade. In June, Jody’s sister and her kids moved in with us. It was such a blessing to have them here. In November, my dads memory was becoming more and more of an issue, so they took him to the Dr to see what was going on. The initial diagnosis was Alzheimer’s. By Thanksgiving we knew it was brain tumors, December was his surgery, and my HORRIFIC drive to California. On Christmas Day, we knew we were dealing with Glioblastoma; life altering, cancer.

Christmas 2008 was fun. We tried our best to enjoy the time together and I think each one of us had to consciously put the thought that it might be our last Christmas with dad out of our minds. Dad was very loving and told us all often how much he loved us. January 2009, Jody went back home to Washington to work, and the kids and I stayed in California to help with the beginnings of chemotherapy. He flew down and drove us home at the end of February. Tayler started playing softball right away when we got home, and life pretty much returned to “normal”.

We snuck back down to California for a quick visit in May…The big kids and I were scheduled to go to Mexico City on a missions trip in June (that was canceled due to Swine Flu) Soon July came, and softball was over, and Tayler announced her retirement from the game. She had decided that she was spending more time on softball, than on the things she wanted to do for the Lord.

Evan and Tayler went to visit their dad in September this year. They were in Memphis for the Delta Fair. It is held at their dad’s place of work, and they really love helping out. Apparently they were well loved, and have been invited to come and help again. I think I heard that they were trying to be kidnapped so they could stay….lol…. It warms a mom’s heart to know her kids are liked by the people they interact with.
I was going to go down to California and visit mom and dad for the couple of weeks that the kids were gone. God, however, had different plans. Thing after thing kept coming up, that meant I would need to stay in Kennewick until the kids flew home.

After fighting off a nasty 24hr flu bug, we headed south. Five of us and a puppy in a Taurus. Evan was in the back between the two car seated children. Evan was quite the trooper that trip, I get to occasionally see glimpses of the man/father he will be, when he can be cooped up next to a 2 year old and a 7 year old for 14 hours, all while sitting like a pretzel.

While on our visit, at the start of the second week, dad got real sick. We thought we had brought the bug to him, and had made him ill. After calls to the Doctor and a few more scans, we knew it wasn’t the flu, it was a new tumor… and that this was going to be the hardest part of the journey, the part where we all say goodbye.

Dad graduated to Glory on October 19,2009. Although it is sad, and nothing will ever be quite the same without him around, we know he is in Heaven with his Lord, and that takes the sting out of it a little bit. Not long after dad, the puppy got sick and we had to put him to sleep. Tayler had a real hard time with that, and still can’t really talk about it, not sure if she will ever be able to.

So, after that depressing paragraph, please know that we have a hope. A hope that rests in our Lord and Savior. That He hears our cry, and He knows our sorrows, and that He always answers our prayers in His perfect understanding of how the world works. Our hope was willing to come to earth and die so that I would not have to spend my eternity apart from Him.

Our greatest joy would be that you would know the same Hope.
Thank you all for your prayers and support over this last year. We really wouldn’t have done as well without you all praying us through it. We will walk into the next year with our heads high, and looking to share with others the hope that we have.

Much love,
Jody, Julie, Evan, Tayler, Hunter &Jeremiah

Christmas 2009

Well this year found us strapped for cash to purchase gifts for the kids. We were fine with that, knowing that our family would receive gifts from other family members who were NOT strapped the way we were. God, however, saw fit to bless us financially right before ( like 2 days ) Christmas. This did allow us to go out and get a few stocking gifts, and some bibles for those that had really, really, really wanted them. It was a blessing to us to hear how they "were the best gift ever". Many thanks to all our family members that showered us all with gifts... we are very grateful.

After the gift part of the day, I started with the cooking. I went to get the turkey out of the fridge in the garage. That is where the fun started. The turkey was still frozen. It had been thawing in the fridge since SUNDAY!!!!!!! I unwrapped it... not too worried that we would still be able to cook it just fine. I tried to take out the little absorbent pad they had placed in there. Half came out, half stayed in the turkey. With visions of melted plastic,and a ruined meal, I begin in vain to get this brown pad out of the turkey's butt.

First, I try to get the turkey wet with warm water. This happened to be a precooked turkey, so when I got it wet, the skin started to fall off. That was beyond disgusting, so I stopped. I thought couldn't microwave it to thaw it because there was a metal hook where the legs were held together.... rapidly running out of options, I ask Jody for help. He had been out of the house for my water trick and he suggested that I get it wet and when that part was warm it out come out... I explain the whole skin falling off thing.... he then suggests the microwave to thaw it. I roll my eyes, and point to the large metal hook. He, in his frustration of being asked to solve a problem and having me shoot all his ideas out of the water,..... very tersely and sarcastically suggests " you could always stick a hair dryer up it's butt"

SO.... with nothing to lose, I went and got the hair dryer.

When I got back from the bathroom, he looked at me and rolled his eyes..... as if to say... I was JOKING!

He, valiant husband that he is, stood in the kitchen, for 45 minutes, blowing hot air from the hair dryer on the butt of a turkey, so we didn't have to eat turkey flavored with melted plastic. Yet another reason why I LOVE that man.

More Love

I was flipping through my Bible... on the way to Matthew to read a piece of Scripture that someone wrote on the white-board that is in my kitchen.... and this fell out....

It is the words to the song "More Love to Thee" by Elizabeth Prentiss. It is her heart cry to love her Savior more.... It made me think... Do I want this same love toward my Savior? If my answer is NO.... then why is it no. If it is yes, do I show it?

Here are the words:

More love to Thee, O Christ, More love to Thee
Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee;
This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ to Thee, More love to Thee, More love to Thee!

Once earthly joy I craved, Sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek, Give what is best;
This all my prayer shall be: More love, O Christ to Thee, More love to Thee, More love to Thee!

Then shall my latest breath Whisper Thy praise;
This be the parting cry My heart shall raise;
This still my prayer shall be: More love, O Christ to Thee, More love to Thee, More love to Thee!


Elizabeth Prentiss was a wife and mother. She was no stranger to struggles and trials of life. She was a woman of poor health... and she lost 2 children one as a infant, one when it was four. It was said, that she learned more in her times of stuggle about how to Love God, than when her life was going well.

Lord, may I too learn more in the house of mourning and stuggle, than in the house of pleanty and feasting. (Ecclesiastes 7:2)

I just love how Hunter prays... he is 7, and so heartfelt in the way he talks to God.
I really hope he never loses that.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for this wonderful day You’ve given us.
Thank you for the time you have given us as a family.
Thank you for my mom & dad meeting so I could have the best mommy and best daddy ever.
Thank you for a grandpa who would have given up everything for me.
Please help me to obey tomorrow.
Please help me to do my math like I’m suppoz’d to.
These things I pray in Jesus name, Amen

a good day

Today was a good day...
Nothing spectacular as far as day's go... just a good day.

It started with hugs and kisses from Jeremiah, as he sat up in bed and said "Mommy, I waked up!"

Then came Hunter who hacked and wheezed and coughed his good morning to me. I was less than pleased with the whole germ sharing part.

Tay and Ev got up and then we ( which means ME ) decided to go and shovel off Grammie's walkway and driveway, and make sure it had snow-melt on it, so she could get to her car. This went over well considering i expected to hear lots of complaints.... when in actuality, they almost fought over who got to shovel the snow.

We went to Burger King... and had a late lunch so we wouldn't be starving when we went to the grocery store. We will lightly skip over the part where Jeremiah nearly fell out of the play structure, and gave himself the scare of his life... and the part where Hunter whilst trying to climb the same portion of the structure, whacked his knee so hard he had to be carried out by both his brother and sister. That portion of the day was just par for the course, when you have 3 boys.

We get to the store, and Tay served as the engine to Hunter the race car driver and his passenger Jeremiah, while Ev actually HELPED me shop. Everyone bagged the groceries when we were done, and we were out of the store in record time.

The day ended with dinner around the table....and the kids retiring to the couch to play video games.

Just another regular good day.... one where i don't think i heard them argue all day....ahhh

musings

The last few days here have been "normal". Whatever that means for this family of 6.
The kids are back in the swing of things with their friends in Youth Group, they are working hard on their upcoming chimes performance ( in which Tayler will have a flute solo ), and practicing for the Sunday School Christmas play ( in which Tayler will have another flute solo, and Evan will sing a duet with one of his friends )... then there is the Cantata.... where the 3 of us will be singing....

It always seems to me that this time of year is such a blur. We gear up for the holidays....... and then sort of collapse on January 1st.... resolving that next year we will not schedule so much....

I really want my kids to recall the Christmas season as a time for family... to relax and enjoy relationships with friends.... catch up on old news.... and honor Jesus, because without his birth... would we really have any hope?

I don't know if i succeed in getting that message across to the kids, or to those that visit our home.... maybe we are just as busy as every other family in America, and it all gets lost in the shuffle.... We will have to wait and see, i guess, what they tell their kids about how they remember Christmas... whether they only remember all the hustle and bustle... or if they remember it as quiet and calm.

Some days I totally get why we do what we do. I understand why we home school. Why we raise our children in the love and admonition of the Lord. It is usually in the midst of days that find me almost wanting to wring a child's neck.... that these " i get it " moments happen.

Yesterday was a neck wringin' day for Hunter. He was on my LAST NERVE! He was fighting with his bigger siblings... seeking to be as annoying as possible to all people he lived with. I took him to the store, here is how it went.....he wanted a fruit roll up... no ... a new toy... no.... a fun kid kind of yogurt...no.... Hunter we are not getting anything that isn't on our list........ in line at the check out... mom can i have.......... BIG SIGH from me..... NO!...

Later in the evening he was told to get ready for bed.... he then lied about something he had been asked to do.... so it was time for discipline. This is when his attitude went off the hook. After the discipline... he tried to take a swing at me....
This got him a long soak in a kitchen chair while daddy and I decided to have a conference.
We came back and had a long talk. At the end of it, he looked at us and asked us if we would forgive him. He came to us individually and asked. He said he wanted to pray... and ask God for forgiveness....

And that prayer was the "i get it" moment. He asked God to forgive him. He prayed for help to grow to the man God wanted him to, for help to be a good man like Papa, for help listening to mamma and daddy, and for help not to lie.

It was such a sweet from the heart prayer. The restoration that happens when you discipline God's way is amazing. I am so glad we have the opportunity to do it that way....all day long... so that there is consistency. I ended the day blessed by the child that had given me the most grief. Thank you God for giving me the ability to raise these kids.

hijacked

someone had hijacked the images i got from a free template!.... i do not understand how this works... it is about all i can do to type on this thing, let alone figure out some HTML code...........

bear with me as i let my hot techno savvy husband figure it out when he gets home....
Is it too much to ask for a cute blog page? with photos i can change and edit? with adorable paper? really i am a simple girl....

..........sigh.........

Things I've been thinking

1. you know it is cold outside when the water your husband used to de-ice his car window.... stays frozen on the driveway at noon.

2. people look at you funny when you come home after being gone for 2 months. Sometimes i wonder if i grew an extra head while i was away.

3. it is exciting to hear my 2 year old say he wants to do "histh stoolwark"

This one came in the shower this morning.

4. When I was little, my dad would take me to work. One of the things he taught me how to do was read the Rand-McNally Map books that he had. The thing had every street in the East Bay in it. He would patiently show me how to find a street so we could get to the job, then he would let me give him the directions on how to get to the house while we drove. But really, the most important map he taught me how to follow, was the one in the Bible.