Posted by Hannah Rae on Apr 30, 2009 in
faith,
High/Low Thursday
Kaleb gave Gabe the chance to come clean with everything. He had until 11 PM last night to come clean with anything without any further punishment. He rose to the occasion and came forward with some biggies. Grace and mercy floweth! 
Gabe admitted to a big BIG oops and the school gave him a get out of jail free card, this time. If it happens again he will be expelled. EXPELLED!!! Grace and mercy floweth.
Gabe is with me at work until the Salvation Army opens. He will be spending the day there doing whatever needs doing. It will be good. Sweat will floweth.
I am feeling loved, strong, supported, courageous, excited (is that a bad thing?), and humorous.
I get over things quickly. Maybe too quickly. I am having to force myself to stay serious about this situation, and I find myself rather funny at times. It’s so hard to keep a straight face in my meanness.
Today will be an adventure. Thank you, Father God, that you are not only along for the ride, but have seen the end.
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Posted by Hannah Rae on Apr 29, 2009 in
faith,
Life in the Stubborn house
(This post adapted from an e-mail I sent my Daddy)
Anywho, Boy drama. Our eldest has been having MAJOR honesty issues that we have been catching him in, thanks to the Holy Spirit and some amazing imparted wisdom. We thought that we had had a major breakthrough after he had been caught in a bold-faced lie about his whereabouts that ended up in him getting grounded from most privileges for 2 weeks. Anywho, yesterday we get a call from his school telling us he has been suspended for 4 days because he was caught chewing tabacco. Ewwww!!! And there is a possibility of bigger trouble too…not good.
Anywho, Sunday night we were dealing with another honesty issue and Kaleb was torn because he was supposed to leave for a business trip and just couldn’t feel right about it. We had a serious talk with Gabe about getting his act together and Kaleb reassured me that he knew I could handle things, but he just didn’t feel right. Halfway down to Appleton he just KNEW that something major was going on with our eldest, but kept trying to tell himself that every thing would be okay. Then he got the call about the suspension. Kaleb had only been at his location for 4 hours. He told his boss what was going on, and he TOTALLY understood and gave Kaleb some father-advice. Anywho, Kaleb spent the whole drive home TRYING to cool off, but kept getting more and more angry. In fact he made the 4 hour drive in 3.25 hours. Thankfully, for Gabe’s sake, our renter called to say that our water pump at that house had stopped working so he had to go work over there for a few hours (another reason I am glad he came back home) and that gave him a chance to blow off steam for a while.
The part that really amazes me is when Kaleb took Gabe hard in his arms, wrapped him up, crying over him and saying over and over “Agape. Agape.” Tears running down my strong hubby’s face. I can’t describe the moment. It was so deep. At that same moment, our Heavenly Father was wrapping my hubby in His arms and saying “Agape. Agape” over him. God is transforming our family and calling us back to him in ways that we never suspected. Before we went to bed last night, we prayed together and I told Kaleb how God has been speaking words to me during my prayers in ways I have never experienced before. Kaleb answered me by quoting Narnia’s Last Battle “Come further up and further in.”
Anywho, we are doing well. Just experiencing a very STEEP learning curve.
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Posted by Hannah Rae on Apr 28, 2009 in
Life in the Stubborn house
More Gabe drama. Nothing major, but just enough to keep us from having any fun with the child. He is currently serving a two-week grounding from bike, PSP, and phone calls. Because of antics yesterday which lacked any resemblance of common sense the grounding has been extended 4 days.
I had a coworker ask yesterday if this grounding was a bit of overkill, and I’ve been thinking hard about that. NO! I think that Gabe has a lot of parenting to catch up on and that he needs to know NOW that WE are in charge and that we mean what we say. His continual dishonesty needs to be nipped in the bud NOW! Kaleb has been amazing and has really been persistent at talking with the boy and hearing his heart and his mind. We have so much to learn about Gabe, and even more to learn from him. God has truly been reaching out to OUR hearts through this whole process.
Kaleb’s gone on business for the next few days leaving me to deal with the boy-child alone. Thankfully, my sweet hubby gave me a very sweet, nay I say passionate, kiss before I left for work.
Gabe is not scary or intimidating, but I am a little concerned that I may be more tyrannical than normal in Kaleb’s absence. I don’t like being tyrannical, but I suppose it’s my response to feeling out of control. I tighten the reigns. I am praying for LOTS of wisdom!
Jeremiah had an interesting weekend. He’s testing limits, which we totally see as a good thing right now because it means he is really starting to feel at home. It hasn’t been anything major, but a little ‘tude here and there and more arguing than would be preferable. Even after discipline, he is always up for lots of hugs and cuddles. Before I dropped him off at the group home he told me that he wished he didn’t have to leave (our house) any more. I told him that he wouldn’t have to leave forever, that soon he would get to stay always. I wonder now if that was a wise thing to tell him. He didn’t do well yesterday morning. He tantrummed, but thankfully pulled it together and got to school. This means he will have to go back early this weekend so that he has more time to transition. He’s not going to like that…at all.
Soup group tonight! YAY!!! I am praying for peace and joy to fill our group. Gabe will be coming with me, so hopefully the men there will be able to get to his heart.
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Posted by Hannah Rae on Apr 22, 2009 in
Life in the Stubborn house
Yesterday I was away all day. After work I went to Soup Group (alone) and didn’t get home until 10:30. Gabe was still up. I was surprised that Kaleb hadn’t sent him to bed. I gave Gabe a hug, asked him how his day was, and then promptly told him that it was time for him to head up to bed. Kaleb thought I was being a little cold, but really I just wanted to have some time with my hubby . My heart is really sensitive right now, I am guessing because I just got my first period in six months…and I just needed some time in my beloved’s arms. Apparently Gabe was waiting up for me to get home. He missed me and wanted to see me before I went to bed, so I hugged him some more, we talked about his day a little, and then I promptly sent him to bed again.
Yesterday was tough for the Gabe-ster. With no bike, no PSP, and no phone calls he was left alone with his thoughts. Kaleb and Rachel went over to our mentors’ house, so he had plenty of time alone to think and journal. He hates the silence. In his journal he wrote that with every passing minute he is regretting more and more that he let himself lie to us. This is a very social kid, so I totally believe that he is really feeling the heat right now. I wrote him a note this morning telling him that I love him and I was proud of how he handled yesterday. I told him that I knew things were difficult, but that I truly believed he was getting it. I hope so. He is a fun kid, and reality discipline is not fun…most of the time.
We are going to go see Shakespeare’s The Tempest tomorrow night at our local university theater. I am a theater buff, and my hubby has turned into one, so I am psyched! The boy needs extra credit for his English class, and I thought this would be a great way to get it. The tickets are expensive, but when I asked Kaleb if he still wanted to go he said
“Anything for the boy’s grade!”
It’s more of a selfish thing as we’ve realized that restrictions imposed on the boy are restrictions imposed on us as well.
Anywho, our adventure of parenthood continues. Our caseworker is stopping by our house early this evening..actually she is probably arriving now…but neither Kaleb nor I will be there. She said she will just visit with Gabe, and hopefully Kaleb will be able to make it home in time to catch her. We want to make sure she is getting accurate information.
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Posted by Hannah Rae on Apr 21, 2009 in
Life in the Stubborn house,
Uncategorized
1 sixteen year-old boy + 1 chest cold + 1 bike ride on a snowy/rainy day – 1 helmet + 1 Dad listening to God’s still, small voice + 1 boy’s lies about his whereabouts = our first major parenting opportunity.
Let’s just say that for the next two weeks, our house will be EMACULATE! And our yard too, if this SNOW ever goes away.
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Posted by Hannah Rae on Apr 18, 2009 in
Life in the Stubborn house
I was out walking the dogs this morning when I realized that spring in the U.P. is LOUD!
There were these guys with their tweet tweets
And of coarse these little hoppers with their beautiful songs
These little ones were EVERYWHERE in our neighbors yard
And this guy was definitley doing some knock-knock-knocking
I saw (and heard) pairs of these guys swirling all over the sky, singing to eachother
And of coarse the incredibly NOISY finches
These big beauties are my favorite part of living in Michigan. They beautiful, low warble makes me smile every time.
And who can forget these little cuties?
Or these?
And we can’t forget the two LOUDEST of them all….
and (Lots and lots of these flying over head.)
And of coarse, we can’t forget our favorite bird of all, who provides us with constant noise no matter what time of year.
Happy Spring Everyone!!!! Our snow is ALMOST gone!!!
Photos (except Juji-Bird) courtesy of www.outdoor-michigan.com
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Posted by Hannah Rae on Apr 16, 2009 in
Life in the Stubborn house
Gabe is having a hard week. He has a big Shakespeare project due tomorrow, but his mind and heart are not there. He started out doing a model of the globe theater with Popsicle sticks, but soon realized he bit off more than he could chew. He is doing a series of poems now. Many of the poems he wrote are quite beautiful and well written, but not relevant to Romeo and Juliet AT ALL. When we were going over the poems last night, I could tell he was not really hearing what I was saying.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why do you look like you are about to cry?”
“Just thinkin’ about stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?”
And then it all came spilling out. Tears and all. He is thinking about his former family, the ones he was with for 8 years, especially his brother. He wants to know his brother is okay and is confused as to why he can’t talk to him. His heart is hurting. He feels forgotten.
Lots of hugs and prayers later we took deep breaths and tried to refocus. It was time for bed. He’s been very tired lately, probably because he hasn’t been sleeping well worrying about these hard things.
It’s a balance…listening to their hearts but helping them move past the hurt as well. I always want him to come to me to talk, but I also know that it can become a way to manipulate a hard situation (hard homework that he really doesn’t want to do). We are figuring this thing out…I hope.
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Posted by Hannah Rae on Apr 14, 2009 in
faith,
Life in the Stubborn house
My Dad wrote me an e-mail telling me that my home area made the news, but not in a good way. This article made me angry and sad all at the same time. How can people believe in the truth of the Gospel when other people, who are claiming to know and speak for the Lord, keep distorting his truth. And not just a little distortion, mind you. BIG GIANT LEAPS of distortion.
Lord, this news makes my heart sad. I pray that people who hear the words from these “ministers” would know that their words are lies. I pray that their hearts would not be hardened against you. I pray that YOUR TRUTH will break through.
Mel Gibson’s wife filed for divorce. This makes me sad, but I am not surprised. God used “The Passion of the Christ” in a mighty way, so I am not surprised at Satan’s attack on the Gibson family.
Lord, do not let this news shake the faith of his family, and if it does, help them to grow in a mighty way. Do not let people be led astray by this “hypocrisy”, help them to turn to you for hope.
This kind of stuff makes witnessing to my coworkers all the more difficult. Blah!
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Posted by Hannah Rae on Apr 11, 2009 in
Life in the Stubborn house
some art with you.
Grandmas and Grandpas…a treat for you!
Can you tell who this is?
He thought the idea of his picture being on my website was pretty cool. Our budding artist will have much more to share…I’m sure.
Right now he is in his room playing with his legos. He has quite the diorama on top of his dresser. Moats, gun towers, sea monsters, railroad tracks etc… I love having a ten year old around!
Gabe is somewhat diligently working on a model of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. It’s due Thursday, and this is the first day he’s started on it. With tomorrow being chaotic, he is running out of time. It had produced many enlightening parenting moments.
Kaleb’s Grandma, Dad, and sister came over to do a whole day’s worth of old fashioned Finnish baking today. Dad and Kaleb wanted Grandma to pass on as much knowledge as possible. She is turning 90 this summer, and her health is iffy, so we wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. The boys enjoyed getting time to spend with GG, but my father-in-law was a little weirded out by the boys calling him Grandpa. He doesn’t think he’s old enough for a 16 year old to be calling him that. But he was very good natured about it and didn’t correct them.
Anywho, we now have a buttload of yummy goodies.
But the little guy is getting impatient to see his pic on my website, so I am going to post it now.
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Posted by Hannah Rae on Apr 10, 2009 in
Life in the Stubborn house
Oh, I feel so disconnected. This blogging thing is harder then it seems!
I just got back from a wonderful Good Friday service. A bunch of evangelical churches get together for a common Good Friday service and every pastor has a part to play. It was wonderful to see so many of the body of Christ together in one place. The music was wonderful…a nice mix of contemporary worship songs and classic hymns. I miss hymns, especially on Easter, so I was so glad we sang them. I needed a touch from God today, as I’ve been feeling very disconnected from this whole season of remembering His sacrifice. I got it! I am feeling much better now. More importantly, I am feeling newly energized to share Christ’s love with my coworkers.
I’ll be picking Jeremiah up this evening. He didn’t have a very good week, so he will be on restriction. That could make the weekend interesting. Last weekend was full of birthday presents, movies, and special things to eat, so there will have to be a very different approach this time. Yay for parenting opportunities!
Tomorrow I will be helping my sister, Rachel, with her bakesale to raise money for her upcoming mission trip with YWAM. She isn’t heading out for a while, but it’s a 6 month trip, including 2 months of school and 4 months in the 10/40 window, so it’s expensive. Lots of friends from church have made goodies to sell, so I am praying that people will be int he goody-buying mood for Easter. Last time we raised $600 thanks to many not-small blessings from very generous people. Thank you, Lord, in advance for what you are going to do. Make us a blessing!
While Rachel and I are bake-sale-ing, Kaleb will be at home with the boys and his 89 year old grandma making some traditional Finnish goodies. He wanted to do this last week, but he got up late and grandma wanted to be back at home before the MSU basketball game.
I haven’t decided if I’m going to do the whole Easter basket thing for the boys or not. I definitely want to color eggs with them, but I haven’t decided on the rest. I am more in the camp of keeping our eyes on Jesus on Easter instead of on candy. Plus, if I buy it I will have to take most of it away from Jeremiah, and that won’t be any fun. We shall see.
My imagination is being filled today with memories of my Mom, overflowing Easter baskets, exploding peeps, and vinegar-dyed eggs. I remember the Easter I got a fuzzy panda puppet and cried inconsolably as I watched my daddy play Jesus in a crucifixion reenactment, and I remember running downstairs to watch him wash the fake blood off of his face with Dawn dish soap.
Kaleb and I were legally married on a Good Friday, although I can’t remember the exact date. We don’t celebrate that anniversary since we were already married. It’s complicated, but it means we are never surprised when we receive random anniversary cards. I remember going to church later that day and feeling the weight of Christ’s sacrifice and seeing his love reach a dear friend for the first time.
It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming. Hallelujah!
Ok, so that post went in a totally different direction than I thought it would. Whoops!
Pray for Gabe. He is having a hard time right now as we are all coming out of the shock stage and entering real-life routines. Pray for wisdom for us as we learn and grow as parents. I am out-of-this-world proud of my hubby for how he’s been handling things. I am the one feeling out of the loop right now, which is odd for me.
Have a GREAT Easter!!! He is RISEN!!!!
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