Garrett's first day of Preschool/Olivia's new class

Today couldn't have gone better. I was a little worried about Garrett after last night's conversation. He looked up at me and said, "Mom, is tomorrow school?" "Yes!" I said as enthusiastically as possible. He looks down and says, "Oh...well...I don't think I want to go. I'm not going to like it." "Oh, buddy, I really think you're going to LOVE school, you need to give it a try before you decide you're not going to like it. Ok?" "Uh-hu."

I can tell, I haven't convinced him.

I sleep terribly, thinking about Olivia being the 'new kid.' About Garrett not adjusting to change. I pray for peace, for all of us. For a spirit of power, not a spirit of fear.

I wake up, ready the kids for school - pray, pray, pray.

Olivia has her coat on for 10 minutes before we have to go. She's ready! Garrett doesn't go to preschool until the afternoon, but I thought it would be a good idea for him to see Olivia go to her class for his confidence.

Walk into the office, wait for the teacher. The staff was welcoming and wonderful. Mrs. S. comes in, shakes hands, explains drop off, lunch, class, specials...so much information!! I explain that Olivia has not experienced all day school yet, but that I'm not worried about her AT ALL. O and G are taking it all in. The colorful hallways, the busy adults, safety patrol at the doors, and all the kids. We walk into the all purpose room where O will line up for her day. A nice woman greets G, "HI HANDSOME!" G plays shy, but smiles as we walk by.

O is taking in the more than 100 kindergartners in the APR - she seems a little taken back, but not afraid. The teacher invites G and I to go up to her room and see it. I'm glad, for G. As we walk in line through the school, I can feel G's excitement rising - just by his energy.

O is dropped off, she doesn't even turn to hug or kiss me, I had to go over to her (tear)! As we walked out of the building G says, "Mom, is it lunchtime yet?" I think, "Oh man, this is going to be a LONG morning!"

G was so excited the whole morning, asked if it was lunch time more than 20 times! Prayers were answered! He was excited when I dropped him off and when I picked him up. His teacher said he did great, lets pray he keeps it up.

I wasn't crazy with the camera at the school b/c I felt a little foolish taking pictures of my kids in the middle of the school year. I hope these are good enough.

G and O outside the van, ready to take O in the morning.

O waiting in her class for instructions on what to do. The tongue is sticking out b/c of her loose tooth. Her bottom tooth is REALLY lose, but she doesn't work it a whole lot. Her adult tooth is coming in, so I'm hoping it will push the other out.

The hallway outside her door. Her classroom is the door on the right.

G, confidently going into the school.

Waiting to meet his teacher. And yes, he LOVES his Ironman back pack.

What's up...

We are moved into my mom and dad's house. Officially, stop number 2. Who knows how long we'll be here but we're ok with not knowing everything, God has a plan.


Here's what we've been up to:


We've been visiting churches, trying to find our fit. This is harder then we thought it was going to be. There are so many things to consider when finding a church home, one of the most important things, we are finding out, is where the kids are happy and thriving.


Josh was busy trying to get a job - tons of applications online and lots a resumes sent out. But he got a job, the way we knew he would, through people we knew. My sister-in-law, Cheryl, just started at a company called Lawn Connection and was able to get him started there in less than a week. It's been quite and adjustment for him, working LONG hours and doing hard labor. He likes it a lot, just has to get used to the schedule. I wish I had a picture of the sun-tan he's getting!!


My sister and I moved us to my parents on Tuesday. I'd like to thank the Leeds family again for letting us crash in their family room for the last month +. I know it was a great time for us. We are so thankful for the love that was shown to us - for everything we can never re-pay, only thank, thank, and thank some more! Back at my parents house, the last thing I have to do is get my hard working husband to move the dressers into the house so we can stop living out of bins and suitcases. I'm patiently waiting...

We've also been fighting a serious fever virus that is wreaking havoc on my children's immune systems. This thing WILL NOT go away! Olivia and Gideon had it at the same time and Garrett and Esther have both had days on and off with the fever. All I can do is hydrate and keep them as comfortable as possible. Today was Esther's turn to have the fever again. She ran the highest fever of all the kids today, and I have to say, is handling it really well.

As many of you knew, we were not going to have Olivia finish school, but start 1st grade in the fall. After some consideration, we have decided to have her finish Kindergarten at Riverside Elementary. She will be going all day, everyday, which will be adjustment from MI, where she was half day, everyday. Garrett will also be starting preschool, which he's never experienced before. He will go in the afternoon from 12:10-2:33. I'm really excited about this and hope that he will love school. Be looking for "first day of school" pictures on Monday, their first day!

That's the update for now. Thanks for all your prayers as we walk down this path of uncertainty and adventure.

Esther, passed out on the couch this morning while she "burned" the virus out of her.

Garrett, snacking, a lot. The goldfish came after an orange. After the goldfish was an apple and more goldfish - I think he's growing!

Olivia's been really into doing her own hair. Today's ponytail is the best she's done so far.

Here's Esther, healthy. I couldn't have the only picture on this post be of her sick, she's too cute for that!

Here's Gideon showing me how upset he is that I won't put him the the bath when he wanted to go in. What this picture doesn't show is how he tried to take off his own pants to get ready for the tub. This resulted in "bustin' a sag" or "plumbers crack." Funny pictures, just not blog friendly!!

5 year old Greatness

Creating a masterpiece on the driveway. I think it was titled, "Rainbow".


A fun time a Chuckie Cheese to help celebrate the day. Garrett and Daddy on the "rollercoaster." (it's the only way Garrett will be able to ride one with Daddy, since Josh won't get on a realy one!)

Is it possible that my little boy is now 5? Extreme doesn't begin to describe Garrett. He loves hard, plays hard, and rages hard. He's beginning to verbalize his feelings a little more, I'm hoping this will help him deal with the many feelings he has going on inside of him. He seems to always be out numbered when it comes to girls. Some days this bothers him, some days, he could care less. Ten years from now he's going to love being out numbered by all the girls! ;)

He's learning how to be gentle with Gideon, realizing that he's not quite big enough to wrestle hard with yet. He's turned Esther into his little servant, sending her for all his snacks and drinks, I think we'll call that resourceful. When it comes to his relationship with Olivia, they are growing apart, in a healthy way. They were so close in age, it was almost like they were twins, experiencing everything at the same time. However, with Olivia at school this year, the roles have changed and Garrett is falling into being the oldest child at home.

Garrett's keen sense of energy and feelings has really developed this year. We are working on how to harness his ability to discern other's feelings for good. He loves asking, "How was your day?" and really listening to the answer. He loves to tell us what he's thankful for. His prayers are heartfelt and he's beginning to understand what following Jesus really looks like. On the way home from church recently, we had this conversation:

G: "Christians don't die."

M: "Really, where did you hear that?" I was a little taken back by this comment. I was afraid that if this wasn't explained correctly, it could skew his view of God. So, we continued carefully.

G: "Daniel." (the youngest son of our pastor from MI)

D: "Hmmm. Garrett, pinch yourself." He does. "Do you feel that, the pinch? That is your physical body, and it will die. All of our physical bodies die. But when we believe in Jesus and follow him, our souls, our spiritual bodies, go to heaven."

G: "Yeah, I believe in Jesus. I'm a Christian."

I am excited to see what the next year hold for our Garrett. I pray in earnest that we will be able to mold his BIG personality into a vessel for God's kingdom.

Happy 5th Birthday buddy, you're great!

The Million Dollar Question

How are we doing? That's the million dollar question, isn't it?

We are blessed. We are in transition. Some days we are relaxed, some days we are worried. We are discouraged. We are confident. Most days I'm amazed at how well our living situation is going. The rhythm is working. The kids love each other. The conversation is full, encouraging and challenging. Built-in child care. Chore sharing, cooking, cleaning, picking up. Morning coffee is made by many hands and lovingly served to it's rightful owner. We could not be more thankful for the Leeds family for opening up their home so willingly and sacrificially. We are warm at night, full in the day. Our daily bread is being provided, both physically and spiritually.

Psalm 43:1-5

O God, take up my cause!
Defend me against these ungodly people.
Rescue me from these unjust liars.

For you are God, my only safe haven.
Why have you tossed me aside?

Why must I wander around in darkness,
oppressed by my enemies?

Send out your light and your truth;
let them guide me.

Let them lead me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you live.

There I will go to the altar of God,
to God—the source of all my joy.

I will praise you with my harp,
O God, my God!

Why am I discouraged?
Why so sad?

I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God! NLT

Josh is still looking for employment. He has been diligent in applying and sending out resumes. Nothing has come of it. Today he got an e-mail from a potential opportunity, that said the economy has hurt their business and wasn't sure if they'd be hiring at all. In two weeks of trying to get a job, we hadn't heard anything from anyone. With today's email, I was more discouraged than getting no reply. So, he continues to search, send, and do his part and wait for God to do the rest.

One of the more promising avenues is working for the US Postal Service. The process includes a pretty intense test that requires hours of studying and preparation. Here he is studying. At least he's got time to prepare!

Laura and Esther have become really good friends. They are really cute together and look forward to playing all day. All the kids are going to have withdraw when we move out.

The Legacy

This past Monday my Grandmom went home. Heaven. Her suffering on this earth is now over and she's in glory with her Savior. As we celebrated her life over the last couple of days I learned a couple of things about her that I wish I would have known when she was alive.

Fact #1: She never wanted to be a farmers wife. She was a "city girl" who fell in love with a farmer. One of their wedding gifts was 125 chickens, no wonder she wasn't smiling in any of her wedding pictures! She candled eggs (google it, I had no idea what it was either), made all of her children's clothes, kept the books for their business, and raised seven wonderful children.

Fact #2: She was always in heels. I didn't see a picture of her when she wasn't fully "ready" for her day. There was even a picture of her when we all surprised her on Christmas morning, and out she came, skirt, heels, hair done. I learned later from one of my aunts, that she did this for my grandfather. He delivered milk, and always thought that if the woman met him at the door in their "house coat," they were lazy. Grandmom submitted to his expectation of a wife and mother and honored his wishes. What a great example to follow.

Fact #3: My grandparents loved each other, DEEPLY. Grandmom really hadn't been the same since Grandpop died almost 10 years ago. After 58 years of marriage, their love was stronger than ever. One Christmas Grandpop forgot to get Grandmom a Christmas card (we don't even get Christmas cards for each other), so he wrote her a note to apologize. At the age of 73 he says, "To the best wife a man could ever have" and "this has been the best year of our lives so far, and know that the next will be even better." He cherished her, adored her, LOVED her. I think that speaks volumes about, not only their marriage, but about the woman she was.

It was a bittersweet day. Tears, laughs, time with family. The legacy my grandparents left is long and deep. 7 children, 20 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and 5 more on the way. I am proud to be an Entwistle. I am proud of my family and the beauty that each of them brings to my life. I love the diversity, the quirks, the similarities. Most of all I love that in each of us, we are carrying the legacy on.

Garrett, Uncle Jeff (second son), and Rob (one of my 16 cousins).

Aunt Cathy bouncing Gideon.

Avery, Ange, Gideon and Nate.

My cousin Jenn's oldest daughter, Kayleigh, turned 13. Of course we had to embarrass her by singing to her. From left to right, Aunt Joyce, Aunt Sharon, Kayleigh, Marsh, and Jenn.

Shaylan, Olivia and Esther playing together.

Nate and Garrett

My dad John, the youngest sibling, with the oldest sibling, Aunt Ginny.

Olivia and Katie playing together.

From bottom left to right: Joe, Aunt Sharon, Aunt Ginny, Aunt Peggy, Aunt Joyce (all 4 daughters), Aunt Wendy and Uncle Jim (the oldest son).

Aunt Judy and Ange

Aunt Wendy, Uncle Jim, Uncle Roy (my grandfather's brother) and Andrew.

My dad, Rob, Marsh and Aunt Sharon.

Ange, Avery and Bekah (another cousin).

Nate, Garrett and Esther get ready for a game.

It was a long day so Garrett sunggled up with Grammy at the end of the night. If you know Garrett, you know you've never seen him that still in the midst of all those people. He must have been really tired!

Stop #1 - Leeds house

We are finally settling in. Finally, that makes this move seem like it is over, but it's not. If I start to think about what the next month looks like, I start to get a little uneasy. If I start to think about the fact that Josh doesn't have a job yet, I start to get a little worried. If I think, "What were we thinking, leaving, moving, being unemployed," a slight panic attack rises up in me. I am choosing to think about the positive. To embrace the love being wrapped around us by everyone. To rest in the promise that God knows what we need and will provide those needs. To count my blessings, which outnumber the stars!

We are settling in at our first stop with the Leeds family. Doug was my youth pastor and his wife, Karen a great friend. Doug married Josh and I almost 8 years ago, and their oldest daughter Taylor, was the flower girl in our wedding. This time starts a new chapter in our journey together. They have 5 children of their own, so as you can imagine, the party hasn't stopped!

Garrett and Jordan (7). These two have really bonded. Jordan tends to be the most "tom-boyish" of all the girls. We've found these two wrestling pretty hard.

Watching High School Musical 3.

The rest of the girls watching HM3. From left to right: Emily (9), Taylor (10), Laura (4), Esther and Olivia.

The Leeds 5th, and final child Ian, is at the end of the bed watching Garrett climb. So if you're keeping track, that's 9 kids ages 10 to 1!

I got lost

I totally got lost.

Big time.

I feel really foolish...embarrassed...and forever changed after my latest wondering.

Wondering, in the dark. It was really dark, no light, no signs of life. Lots of scary noises and missteps that caused me many bumps and bruises.

I kept telling myself, "Your going the right way...don't question it...you'll see light again...it's just around the corner...keep going."

So I pushed through, asked for help from the empty sky. Screamed out for help, answered with silence.

Then I stopped.

Sat down.

Closed my eyes.

Remembered where I came from...and heard a voice.

"You got lost, but I always knew where you were. I saw you walking down the road; guilty, worrying, CONTROLLING, doubting, justifying, HaTiNg, gossiping, holding grudges, being engulfed in your own PRIDE. Oh, how I loved you even in that place. I always want you to be safe with me and I waited until you were ready to hear me."

silence.

quiet.

confession.

peace.

freedom.

Yes, it's pictureless

I've been a little bit of a wreck lately.

I've been unable to put my thoughts into words, this is weird for me.

This "limbo stage" we are in, may do me in.

Early last week I bottled it in, tried to ignore the empty feeling, the lack of confidence and peace. I finally shared with Josh how I was feeling, talked it out (or so I thought), and was feeling better. Then of Friday I had a good cry about it all. About not "feeling" God's direction. "Feeling" forgotten by God. "Feeling" lost. Many of my friends and family contacted me this day about how we were doing. It's what I needed and once again, God let me know that He gives us everything we NEED when we NEED it. That He is with me, even when I feel like I'm in the dark, miles from his safety. He is faithful.

I don't think I'm totally out of this funk.

But I'm holding on to the promises.

"My flesh and me heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge,

I will tell of all your deeds."

Psalm 73:26&28

"Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40: 28-31

Puddin' Pie and Quote

What do you think a 1 year old does with pudding? Eat it? Slurp it? Nope! They wear it. Gideon still only uses eating utensils 40% of the time, so the other 60% he uses his hands. When he can grab the food, it's not a problem, however, pudding is not grabable (is that a real word?). Because pudding poses this problem Gideon decided to paint with it, fling it across the room with the spoon, and give himself war paint.

What does a 4 (almost 5 year old) do with pudding? Eat it with a spoon? Drink it? Nope. He tries to lick it out of the cup, with very little success. I was trying to get him to use the spoon, but he liked making a mess. WHATEVER!

Quote of the day (it has nothing to do with pudding, but I don't want to forget it):

Me, jokingly: "Garrett, I'm going to bite your thumb off if you don't stop sucking it!"
Garrett, laughing: "But mom, this is my favorite thumb to suck on!"

Sledding - a tough sport

I don't remember this part of sledding. The bumps and bruises. Josh and our friend Chad took the kids sledding today after church. The kids had been begging Josh for a while and today was the day to deliver. I didn't expect Garrett to come home battered and bruised. He walked in from playing and after I saw his REALLY red face, I noticed the bruise and cut on his forehead. He's giving me a glimpse of the future too, he hasn't stopped eating since he came in. So far he's had a cheese sandwich, fruit snacks, Bugles, two bowls and cereal and I think he's going to finish off an apple too. I'm guessing that when he's a teenager, he'll eat twice as much as that on a normal day. He's totally worth it!

The running of the Crisp kids

This is what happens when you give kids ice cream 15 minutes before bedtime. They had been running like this for a good 5 minutes before I even started taping. Take a little cabin fever add ice cream and this is what you get!

Look How Far We've Come

I am amazed when I look back over the last 7 almost 8 years of our marriage. Amazed at our beginning and our plans. Amazed at how lovely our life is now, because of God's plan. We haven't always made the best choices. We have made a lot of mistakes. We have had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories. As we step into the unknown we know we are together. We know we have love. We know we will thrive. We are excited about the memories to come.

Thank you God for all you have given to us. For the love you lavish upon us. For the grace you freely give to us. We accept your love the grace on our journey, trusting in you alone for our needs. May this family be an example of your love and grace.

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Make a Smilebox slideshow

How do you cope?

The past couple of weeks have been crazy, exciting, stressful, peaceful, draining, and exhilarating. As you can see, there is no one word that describes how we are doing. Our future is uncertain, and we are at peace with that. We have committed this decision to God, and know that he's going ahead of us. He will meet all of our NEEDS. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that we don't have to prepare, make some plans, and be responsible for our family. Along with these things comes many days of thinking, coping, praying, asking, listening, waiting, longing. Do you see how my brain could be a little jumbled? I have learned a couple new things in the last couple of weeks.

Number 1, God has brought me farther in my journey then I thought I had come (this is a good thing!).

Number 2, my kids are amazing at coping. They have yet to respond to our move the way you would expect.

Number 3, I can cope, because I can organize. And I LOVE it! I do my best thinking while I'm throwing stuff out, making donation piles, and packing boxes. I have clarity. I have peace. I gain confidence. AND I get things ready, clean, organized - BONUS! I've cleaned out and packed every closet in the house. I've cleaned out the basement and all the kids rooms. Every kitchen and bathroom cabinet and drawer is cleaned and ready to sweep into a box. It feels good to be ready. Something has to be ready, when plans are so uncertain. I've been steam cleaning the carpets, my favorite chore. Today I rearranged the living room after cleaning out under the couch (DISGUSTING!). Who doesn't like rearranging furniture? My sister and I would do this on a regular basis growing up. It hasn't stopped since getting married. Josh either comes home to a new arrangement of furniture, or he's the one moving it (b/c I'm always prego!). He doesn't understand the need for change, but loves me enough to let me be me. Thanks babe!

So, I don't say this all to toot my own horn, but merely to give an example of a coping tendency. I'm wondering, how do you cope? When do you do your best thinking? When are you most focused? Do you. . .

get violent?

eat?

clean?

sleep?

exercise?

Or do you cope some other way? Let us know!

Sibling Happiness Day

Today must be the day for all siblings to get along. My sis-in-law blogged earlier that her boys were playing and including one another without fighting. My children are also having a wonderful day of play and interaction. Olivia and Garrett were playing together on the kid computer while Esther and Gideon played on the basement stairs. (I know you think I'm crazy for letting them play on the stairs, but really they were just going up and down.) Although these times seems so few and far between, they are worth the wait. They are worth the constant peacemaking and conversations of including and treating each other the way they'd want to be treated. It confirms to me that being a teachable, yet teaching parent is going to pay off!

Gid and Es on the stairs.

Olivia and Garrett on the computer. And I forgot to mention that she had her arm around him the whole time. Can you feel the love?

My Man with Many Faces

This is my favorite age. I'm thankful for this age. It makes the terrible two's, three's and four's so worth it. I don't care what 12-18 month old you know, they are great. They are sponges. They are curious. They aren't testing their boundaries yet. They're good eaters, sleepers (well, all mine were), shoppers, and riders. I love this age! Gideon is almost 14 months old and sometimes I wish I could freeze him at this age. Here's some of his awesomeness (I don't care if that's not a word!).

Favorite toy, kitchen broom. Right now I trip on the thing at least 10 times a day. Hey, at least my floors are clean. :)

Face #1 - Fake cry. "I really want some attention and I want everyone to think I'm not happy! But don't tell them, I really am!"

"I love my mom, but I'm tired of pictures."

"Is that the crazy kid next to me? HELP!"

Face #2 (my favorite) - This face says, "I've just been told no, and I'm sad about it." He doesn't get angry, he doesn't throw a fit, he doesn't even try to do the action again. I really believe that he's sorry. My little contrite boy.

Face #3 - "Wait, every one's laughing, I need to join in! Here's my best fake laugh!"

"Seriously, another picture. . .squished between two people?!?! Will this never end??"