Weight wise Jeff is rocking the diet.  He has lost 15 lbl.  I have lost 8.  I already feel better but have a ways to go.  My goal is 25 lbs to get back into all my old jeans.

In a few weeks I would really like to start the P90X workout with Jeff in the mornings.  Any of you have experience with that.  I hear it is really kick butt.  I’m so ready to get cut again.

I have also nixed Diet Coke from my diet.  It kills me.  I love diet coke and practically took it in my bottle as a baby.  BUT the whole thing about Diet Coke turning to formaldehyde in the body really freaks me out.  I know that aspartame is so horrible for you.  I have known I needed to make this choice for a long time… I think I’m finally ready.  I have to do it for my kids.  I want to live long and be healthy and vibrant for their children and possibly my great grand children someday.

Today I am ill.  I think it is either a bad cold or the flu.  Fun huh?  I think this long week worked one on my immune system.

I can’t tell you I am overcome like that every time I read the Bible.  I have read the Bible most of the days of my adult years (and even before then), yet rarely do I have a moment of revelation like that.  It is like numbness was taken away.  Apathy was gone from me.  My eyes were open to a glimpse of the unbelievable spiritually rich inheritance I had received and been living on.  To this day I can’t tell you where I was flying, what I was doing, or anything.  But I will never forget how overcome I was with gratefulness at that moment.  Had I had a bottle of perfume and Jesus sitting physically beside me I could have easily been the woman washing the feet of her Lord with her hair and perfume as Mary had.  This moment impacted me forever.

Why am I telling you this?  Not in anyway to rub something in your face that I think I have that you may not.  But I tell you because of the back story.  You see my parents had a time in their lives that was pretty dark.  Before they found Jesus they were into drugs and we-gee boards, had “spirit guides” etc.  They almost lost their marriage at one point.  They were desperate, empty, and searching for something to fill them up.  Then my mom enrolled my brother in a local christian preschool.  The teachers (bless those teachers!) reached out to her and invited her to church.  It was there she found Jesus and she was forever changed.  My father followed soon after.  This was all before I was born.  My parents weren’t perfect from that point on.  They had things in their lives they struggled with.  But they had Jesus.  They had my brother, and soon had me and were determined that we grew up always knowing this great peace that only Jesus can bring.  

No matter where you are at as a person or a parent.  There is hope.  No matter what you have come from your children can still recieve a rich inheritance and never have to deal with the things that you may think have branded your life as irrepairable.  All you have to do is bring your crap to his feet.  Give your life to Jesus and know that all the things in life that were done to you, all the things you did, all were nailed on the cross with him and you are made new.  Can you imagine having that to pass on to your children.  As a child of that same inheritance I can tell you that it is amazing.

I now sit here with my children.  I still have things that I really struggle, no war, with.  Its a journey not a destination.  But everyday (that I let him) God is growing me and refining me.  I hope to pass on to my children not the things that entangle me, but freedom, peace, grace, love, zeal,and every other perfect gift that comes only from Jesus.  I pray that I won’t pass on the things that trip me up.  I pray that I will deal with them at this generation so that it won’t go on to the next.  May their futures be written by God alone and not by my failings.  May they always have the peace and hope that I had that moment on the plane.  May they never know a moment without Jesus.

PS- If you have any questons about how to know Jesus please feel free to email me at eejackson (at) mac (dot) com.

For Avery: (from chasing fireflies)

For The Boys: (from Crewcuts)

The inspiration for our shoot can be found here.  And the lovely blonde, Anna Crane, in those photos will be our photographer.  Her work here.

Can you tell I’m excited? To earn $ toward the shoot I’m doing a photo party!!!  There are 3 slots left if you are interested facebook or email me.  It is Saturday the 26th.

Jeff and I are going on the HCG diet starting tomorrow so I’ll let you know how that goes.  I’m glad to have support this time around.  I’m also excited to get back into my cute designer jeans :) 

I have been in the middle of some switching of my medication and I feel SO much better.  The actual switch was really tough.  But my energy level now is so much improved.  I stayed up till 10 the other night, which these days has been like staying up all night for me.  I know that sounds nuts, but I really didn’t feel refreshed unless I had 10 hours of sleep- and that is just such a waste of time in life.  I’m glad to be back to feeling more normal. 

On the country….  Seriuosly I won’t go deep into it.  BUT SERIOUSLY!  Propaganda videos in the classroom?  Appointing czars that have claimed that 911 was an inside job? I could go on for awhile.  But I won’t.  And truthfully I don’t want to spar a huge conversation on this.  But really.  Really?  Gosh I can’t wait for 2012.

Jeff’s mom has really been feeling sick for several months now.  No one can quite figure out what is wrong.  She could use the prayer so please be praying for her.  Jeff is going to see her the end of next week.  It’s hard being so far away and feeling like we can’t help very much.  

I started by this post saying things have been pretty great.  And that is true… for our little family things have been good.  However I do feel like so many people I’m surrounded by are in so much pain right now.  So many people are going through such terrible things.  I don’t want to get into the horror of the situations around me.  But it does feel like something is in the air or something.  Many people are heavy on my heart and heavy in my prayers.  It’s seasons like this I just pray I can be of some help to my friends.  Lord knows there have been seasons where I have depended on a  lot of help.  This is one of those seasons I can pay it forward.  God please touch my friends.  Comfort their hearts.  Grant them peace in the midst of their chaos and heartbreak.

On a side note-  You know you are in trouble when you wear a top you hate because it is clean and it fits.  Is that the definition of being that women that “lets it go”?  Gosh- I hope not.  It is a reality check though.  I have to get back to fitting in my cute clothes.  I haven’t stopped being fashion conscious, I’m just not near as fashion concerned… Which professionally just won’t work for me.  So here is to trying harder!  The HCG diet starts in about a week… so that should help.  Cute jeans, please fit again.

The solution?.  A new place to vent.  NO I didn’t buy another domain name that I will have to design and keep up.  I just may start spewing on someone else’s elsewhere.  Who knows, maybe it won’t work out… but if it does trust me I will direct you there and if you already know what I’m going to say is going to offend you- you don’t have to visit.  More information forthcoming…

In the meanwhile so many things, thoughts, feelings, transitions, beliefs, I have had I could update you on.  I’ll have to spread them out  Owen starting kindergarten, New thoughts on depression (and my ongoing battle with it), Lukas starting preschool, The HCG diet (again),  my pastor losing his son and learning from his grief (about my own,) Life, life and more life.  (now that was definitely a sentence I would get in trouble for in Ms. Bell’s english class.)  Did I ever mention how she told me I was a horrible writer and to stick to Science and Math?..  Oh the silly scars that stick with us…  I don’t want my kids to ever get those itchy things.  I hope no teacher ever speaks that kinda crap over them.   How about the time in 6th grad a personality evaluator told me that my (then) dream of being a lawyer would never happen and I would be a failure.  One look at the “code” my personality test gave me and she thought it was okay to call a sixth grader a failure.  Nice.  Okay- I’m not ranting or anything.  It only still hurts a little…   

WOW Tangent, sorry about that.  Have a good one,  I gotta help my kindergartner with his lower-case i’s.

In addition to that I’m sure most of you have heard about the white house’s new call to rat on your neighbors for spreading SO CALLED “mis-information” about the “health care option” they are trying to pass.  Because I feel that many of the things going around from educated sources is NOT mis-information and because I see this as a move toward one health care government run system and not simply an option… I would therefore become a “mis-information” source.  Truth telling has never been so censored. 

So I’m out for awhile.  I’m too angry and depressed about this country to write.  

I’m sure at some point I’ll be back.

The 5th anniversary party I was planning on holding for the blog with giveaways is cancelled.  Maybe I’ll start writing again on the 10th anniversary, if the country hasn’t gone communist by then.

Cure International is helping mothers in Afghanistan by providing care for them while they are pregnant.  Did you know that a woman’s life expectancy in Afghanistan is 44 years?  I was shocked to find a woman dies in childbirth every 30 minutes.  There are so many amazing charities out there but this one really struck my heart.  I have a heart for mothers and their babies.  This is such a simple problem that we have simple solutions too… but it is a devastating one.  You can either send a card and Cure will donate $3 for a pre-natal visit for one mother… or you can look at their online catalog and provide simple needs for the mothers and babies in afghanistan with not a whole lot of money.  Think of it, just your Starbucks latte in the morning could help save a child.  

Rodan+Fields is going good so far. I’m really excited about the brand and LOVING how my face feels. Jeff is starting his regimen today. I also have a neighbor doing an experiment on the Unblemish for me and another friend using the Soothe for her sensitivity. I will have both before and after pictures for those in the next month or so.

The kids… are just so fun. That is when the boys aren’t killing each other. Yesterday Owen was just wailing on Lukas because apparently Lukas pinched him. Owen was on top of him just punching. As a mom I was horrified. I wish I knew how nip that in the bud. I guess we just have to be consistent in disciplining for them. Too bad it doesn’t work overnight.

Jeff is doing great. He has one of his bands, Seabird, in town recording now. As always the guys are sweet house guests.

Update on Aiden- he has his follow up Neurology appointment tomorrow. He looks great! He seems great! But he has had some headaches. Tomorrow they should find out whether or not that is something to be concerned with.

I really have no Avery update except that to me it seems that she is growing. She seems to need a larger diaper too, which I take as proof I’m waiting for a good window of time between her vaccinations and her blood test so that they don’t throw off the results.

That’s it for now!

After the parade we spent the day at the pool.  Our friends Craig and Jodi were sweet enough to snag us spots.  What they didn’t know is that we were right in front of where the DJ would set up his PA system.  Lunch took an hour but the owner was sweet enough to give us free sodas all day and ice cream sandwiches for our wait.  THEN the grille caught on fire.  That was sort of funny and scary at the same time.  Everyone was in a frenzy with the fire hydrant trying to put it out.  Some kids got ahold of the macbook running the playlist and graced us with “I kissed a girl” by Katie Perry and the very unedited version of “Gold-digger” by Kanye West.  SO being that there are littles everywhere one of the parents finally disconnected it.  

After the pool we grabbed some showers, thawed some meat and took it over to our friends Peggy and Ians.  They are pretty house stuck as Aiden is recovering from surgery so we figured we would hang with them.  We lit fireworks then it rained.  

All an all it was a really fun holiday not short at all on excitement.  The kids had a blast and that is important.  I’m so thankful to be born in this country.  I hope we can maintain our freedom.  The current administration make me more urgently thankful for every freedom I have… after all we don’t know how much longer we will have them with government growing exponentially ever month.