Quote of the Week

My children love this one...

Obedience is doing what you're told, when you're told, with a respectful attitude. Anything less is not obedience.

Voddie Baucham

Testimony Friday

Steve is in New York for a few days visiting family and attending his grandmother's funeral. I miss him.

Not just because he isn't here to rescue me at the end of a crazy day. Not just because he isn't here to help with dishes and do our nightly devotions. Not just because I'm bored and wishing for some adult conversation after the kids are settled in bed. Although in all these areas I do miss him.

The real reason I miss him is because he truly is my better half and my better part is absent.

I remember the stormy years of our marriage when he was traveling every week for work. At the time, that job was a God-send. He'd fly out first thing Monday morning and come home late Wednesday or Thursday night. Friday was usually good, Saturday would be shaky, and by Sunday I was anxious for Monday so he'd leave again. We didn't get along well enough to handle being together more than three days a week!

How faithful God has been. How much He has restored. Now, he's been gone less than 24 hours and I can't wait for him to come home!

I'm thankful for the reminder of how far we've come. So often, when I get to a new place in life, I forget about the old place. I start to feel stagnant and begin to believe that nothing ever changes. The truth is, I'm always changing. For better or worse, change is taking place.

It's good to look back and see how God's hand has moved. How much things have changed. I am so very grateful that life is not the way it used to be. In Christ, there is always hope.

Applesauce

Saturday morning Avery and I tackled the 40 pounds of apples that had been sitting in our garage waiting to become applesauce. I'd been putting it off because I've never canned on my own before. I watched my mom when I was growing up, but I don't remember helping her. My aunt and I canned jam a few summers ago but I did more observing than actual work. Doing it on my own was a little intimidating, so I recruited my best helper.

When I got married I hardly knew how to boil an egg. I am determined to make sure Avery is more prepared than I was, so I try to include her in as many of my household responsibilities as possible. And you know what? She loves it! She's good at it! And she's actually helping to lessen my load!

She wanted to be involved in every step of the process, so I let her do everything but transfer the boiling applesauce into the hot jars.

She peeled...

She chopped...

She recruited (and critiqued) help...

She prepped jars (and graciously shared her spare apron with her little brother!)...

She stirred...

She called for quality control...

And supervision...

And the best part...she tasted...YUMMY!!!...

Taking pride in the finished product...

Every jar sealed and we were so excited. We ended up with 12 quarts of applesauce and had so much fun that we decided next year we want to do a lot more!

While I'm Waiting

I put this song on repeat while I was in the car today. I must have played it ten times or more. It speaks to where I am: in the midst of a valley. It also speaks to where I want to be: "mov(ing) ahead bold and confident; taking every step in obedience." Faithfully waiting.

The details and specifics are unimportant, but the pain of the valley is real. I feel dry and parched and tired. A friend of mine refers to times like these as a "crisis of belief." She defines it as believing what you believe until you don't believe it anymore. It's that simple. I believe it, I know it's true, but now I just don't know if I can keep believing it. It's too hard. It hurts too much. And doesn't God know it.

He knows the circumstances, the disappointment, the discouragement. He knows when I'm trusting Him and when I try to take matters into my own hands. I know I'll come out on the other side. God will get the victory in this area of my life, but it doesn't make the waiting any less hard.

But I am waiting. I'm expecting to get to the other side. I've tried to get there in my own strength and failed. I've seen the height and breadth of the mountains that surround and felt the consuming doubt. But I'm finally coming to the point of surrender. The surrender is leaving my will in the valley so I'm not carrying the baggage of it over the mountain. If I don't unload, it will drag me down and hold me back.

Why is surrender so difficult? I've seen God move enough mountains in my life to know that He will move this one too. It's not that I doubt Him, I just want it to look different. And I want it to be faster. And when it doesn't and isn't, I don't want to surrender.

I am so guilty of praying about something and trusting for it until I think it's been long enough. I reach the point where I think I've given God the time He needs and that should be the end of it. Then I either move on to the next thing or I take over this thing. Either way I lose.

So I have resolved to surrender. I'm turning it over. No matter how long it takes. No matter what it looks like. No matter the outcome. God will be victorious. He wants the victories in my life more than I do because the victories are what bring Him glory.

So I 'm in wait mode. And, in the past, when I've had to wait for something, my belief has become stronger. It's become deeper. It's become real. He doesn't promise it will be easy.

Steve shared some verses in Mark chapter 9 with me the other night. I've read the story many times, but this time it spoke to where I am today. It's where the man brings his demon possessed son to Jesus for healing. In verse 23, Jesus says to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." To which the man replies, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (emphasis mine). The man confessed his struggle to believe and still, Jesus healed his son.

This is so reassuring to me. God does not require that I have all my belief issues worked out, He will minister to me regardless. And He will help me in my unbelief.

So I'm waiting. And as my favorite refrain in this song states "I will serve (Him) while I'm waiting, I will worship while I'm waiting..." That seems like a pretty good place to start.

Quote of the Week

I have come to the conclusion that none of us in our generation feels as guilty about sin as we should or as our forefathers did.

Francis Schaeffer

New Years on the Lanes

New Years' Day was low-key for us. Actually, there's no such thing as "low-key" at our house, but you get the idea. We ventured to the local bowling alley and took on the lanes...

This would be a "spare" pose (there were two more to follow)...

AJ takes bowling, as most things in life, very seriously...

Avery, not so much...for her, it's all about the shoes...

And besides, just what is a spare anyway?...

We love ramps and bumpers...

And Aiden is such a little sport...

Even Sigourney got in on the action...hmmm...which ball will I chose?...

Yep, this one's good...

Where's it going?...

The thumb definitely helps...

Did I do that?...

But it's Dad who shows us how it's really done...

Of course, we brought our own cheering squad...

Happy New Year!

Looking Back

Today I sit and reflect on 2008 and anticipate the changes we are looking forward to in 2009. I didn't get a Christmas letter out this year, but if I had, the summary of our year would look something like this:

January got us off to a great start. Avery broke her foot (as AJ had just 6 months before...we're all for helping the local podiatrist feed his family!)...well, actually Aiden broke her foot, but we'll leave it at that. Sigourney and Avery both got pneumonia (again, we love keeping our physicians employed!) and we were down for most of the month!

February was much better. We cashed in the remainder of Steve's frequent flier miles and spent 10 glorious days on Maui with my parents. Three years of non-stop travel had to benefit us somehow! AJ lost his first tooth (the first without the help of a dentist anyway!) on the Road to Hana and Sigourney loved crawling in, and occasionally eating, the sand. We whale watched and body surfed and spent lots of time just hanging out on the beach. On the plane trip home, we decided we were glad we'd used the last of our miles because four kids on a plane for six hours was not an experience we wanted to repeat any time soon!

In March Aiden turned two. He'd been acting like he was two for quite awhile, but finally made it official! Cars, trucks, and anything with wheels are hands-down favorites. We find them in his bed, in the shower, in the pantry...just follow the Matchbox trail, and there Aiden will be. He does an amazing job keeping up with his older brother and sister and emphatically states that he is "not a baby, 'Gourney is a baby." With March also came the announcement that a new Somma would soon be arriving.

April was a big month. Sigourney turned one on the 6th and had a grand mal seizure on the 13th. What a way to celebrate a birthday -- she even got an airlift out of the deal. You can read more about her experience and prognosis here. A week after her seizure ordeal we attended a homeschool conference that radically changed our perspective on our childrens' education and the calling God had for us in their lives. We knew it was His timing and we heard Him loud and clear. Being faced with the possibility of loosing a child made us realize we don't have a moment to waste.

May brought Sigourney's second grand mal seizure and subsequent epilepsy diagnosis. We were so thankful to finally have an answer and to get her on medication. Thankfully, from a grand mal standpoint, she has been seizure free.

In June we celebrated AJ and Avery's 6th and 5th birthdays and Grandpa Joe visited from Florida. AJ is into riding his bike, playing baseball in the backyard, and donning his army gear to go find "bad guys" in the woods. Avery is into all things feminine as she refuses to wear pants, loves to help mom in the kitchen, and hosts fabulous tea parties for her siblings, her friends and anyone else who stops in for a visit.

July and August were pretty disappointing weather-wise, but we spent as much time as possible at our local parks and beaches. Avery taught herself to ride her bike without training wheels (in a dress of course!), Sigourney started walking and Aiden got a clean bill of health from his surgeon. The portion of his lung that was removed when he was three months old is regenerating as expected. By the time he is seven, when looking at an x-ray an untrained eye will never know it was missing.

September brought my sister Erin's outdoor wedding on what seemed like the rainiest day of the year. Avery and her cousin Shae were "flower fairies" and the nephews were cowboys. It was a race to the finish as we took bets on what would come first, the wedding or the baby...fortunately the wedding won. We also began our homeschool adventure with AJ in first grade and Avery in kindergarten.

Lydia Rose joined us October 6th. Another quick delivery and a precious baby girl. Avery was thrilled to have a blue-eyed sister and once AJ held her in his arms, he got over his disappointment at not having another brother. Lydia is the recipient of much love and affection at our house; she has lots of baby-holders, and a couple of diaper changers. She is our loudest crier yet, but we have concluded that it is probably the only way she knows she'll be heard.

In November, Steve started work on a new project in an exclusive Seattle neighborhood. We are thankful for people with large trust funds who continue to build houses in this rough market. His commute is long, but I think he secretly enjoys the peace and quiet of his truck for three hours a day!

Our church also went through a significant restructuring in November, and a group of us is now meeting in the home of dear friends. It definitely doesn't look like church as we have known it, but we are seeing God move mightily. It has been a wonderful environment for our family as we are building stronger relationships. We are coming to understand that our spiritual discipleship and growth should not be left to a church on Sundays, but should be taking place all week long within the walls of our home. It has been an exciting journey.

December brought with it one of the biggest and most fun snowfalls the NW has seen in a long time. We ended up with over 20 inches at our house! While the typical snow pattern here is snow one day and rain the next, we saw continued snowfall for almost two weeks. The kids spent lots of time sledding down the hill in front of our house, and Steve brought his New York snow experience into the mix by building them the coolest fort in the neighborhood.

Christmas Eve we spent with my family. My cousin Seth was home from Iraq and joined us with his twin girls, so we had 22 people, twelve of them children and ten of those under the age of eight! It was pretty crazy!

Christmas Day was one of the best ever as we spent it with some dear friends. We ate great food, sang carols, read scripture and the kids put on a spectacular Christmas story performance.

Also, in December I shocked friends and family by starting this blog. I have found it a great way to share what God is doing in my heart and life and home. As I write, I realize that although I am easily discouraged with myself and the growth I would like to be making, the Lord continues to mold, shape and refine me.

The year of 2008 was a blessed one for the Somma household. The life we experienced stimulated growth and dependence on God in ways we would have otherwise never imagined. We look forward to 2009 and anticipate the changes it, too, will bring, being confident in this:

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen

Ephesians 3:20-21