Chaos

This weekend, Jonah and I watched my little sister play Rugby at the State finals, we did not see it, but after the game we saw, they went on to win state! Yeah Whitney! Her team is called the Noblesville Chaos- and it is chaotic, the sport is viscious! Here are the pics that the Indianapolis Star took and the Article that was written about the team... she is the team captain. In like 2 weeks, I will watch her graduate highschool- she was one of my first babies

This is whitney pumping her team up!!

The Article from the Indianapolis Star :

Chaos reigned supreme at the North Central rugby field Saturday.
The Noblesville Chaos, that is.
Paced by tries from sophomore Lauren Barber and junior Allie Lee, the Noblesville girls rugby team -- nicknamed Chaos because they are a club program, not part of the school's athletic department -- defeated the two-time defending champion and previously unbeaten hosts 10-5 for the high school girls state title.
"We as seniors and captains have been waiting for this day for four years," said Noblesville senior Whitney Bowman, who shared captain's duties with senior Chelsea Hogle. "We had lost to North Central every single year, and this year we wanted it so much more. We almost beat them last year, so this year we knew what to expect."
Noblesville (8-1) took charge from the outset, Barber scoring the opening five-point try just minutes into the game with a dash around the right side.
"I was in support and when I got (the ball), I just took off," Barber said. "I was running and telling myself I had to go into a higher gear. I think that's the fastest I've ever run."
Just before the half, Lee made it 10-0 when she also sprinted down the right side for a try. Barber and sophomore Shelby Musselman each advanced the ball before it got to Lee, who took a big hit as she crossed the goal.
"(North Central) didn't want us to score and put up a fight," Lee said. "It was a great game."
About 10 minutes into the second of two 25-minute halves, North Central cut its deficit to 10-5 when senior Kristin Ennis countered a Noblesville attack with a long sprint down the left side for a try.
The Panthers pressed hard late in an attempt to tie the score, but Ennis was stopped once about 5 yards short of the goal and later senior Cierra McNeal was stopped about 2 yards shy of the goal. On each occasion, Musselman followed by punting the ball away from harm.
"I've been coaching for four years, and this is the first time we've beaten North Central," said Noblesville coach Brent McCurdy, whose Chaos topped Carmel 30-12 in a semifinal game. "I'm at a loss for words. All I can say is these girls have worked so hard and played so well together."
North Central coach Suzi Dillon, whose squad beat Brownsburg 10-5 in overtime in the other semifinal, said she was proud of her Panthers (8-1) despite the result.
"Every year our girls bring it consistently," she said. "I don't know if I would call (Noblesville's win) an upset because we knew how tough it would be. But we didn't stay out enough, they overloaded us and got around us two times too many."
Bowman said it was teamwork that allowed Noblesville, which avenged a 15-5 loss May 7 to North Central, to prevail.
"Right before the game, I told my girls that we don't play as athletes; rather, we play as a team and a family," Bowman said. "That's what won this game for us. Every person got a handle on the ball, and we stepped up."

Waiting, Praying, Waiting, Praying, Waiting...

This by far is the most stressful time... it is funny, I feel like I have said that over and over again in the last several months. We are standing on a cliff of opportunity. The rubber is meeting the road. I feel promise in my soul but then again, there are not gaurantees in this life. So what is going on?

Last week we needed to make a choice about our living situation. Really, without knowing what is to come. I guess it should not surprise me, it seems like our decisions always seem to be made based on faith. Sometimes, I wonder if we will ever be able to make a decision based on concrete facts rather than the unseen. With that being said, God provided such a cool house for us in Zionsville. We did agree to rent it, and are excited about the location, yard and house! It is cute and we move in 3 weeks- YIKES!!

This week is another story. Hans has an interview for the position at the academy on Friday. We are both nervous. It seems like we are both kind of grasping for things to anchor us here. Why is that our natural tendency to be anchored here? We know that our anchor is Jesus, he is preparing a place for us in his Kingdom, not here on earth...

Yesterday, Abe said he was done moving. He told me he wants to stay in Indiana. How do you explain all these things to him? How do I tell him that we are going to follow God wherever he takes us? He is 4 soon to be 5... my heart hurts for this. I want to be here too.

Today, I picked up my devotional "Streams in the Desert" and turned to today's date- Here is the Entry, it is long, but worth me typing it out in hopes it gets written in my soul~

May 6

The Secret of the Lord is with them that fear him (ps. 25:14)

There are secrets of providence which God's dear children may learn. His dealings with them often seem, to the outward eye, dark and terrible. Faith looks deeper and says, "This is God's secret. You look only on the outside; I can look deeper and see the hidden meaning."

Sometimes diamonds are done up in rough packages, so that thier value cannot be seen. When the tabernacle was built in the wilderness there was nothing rich in its outside appearance. The costly things were all within, and its outward covering of rough badger skin gave no hint of the vaulable things which it contained.

God may send you, dear friends, some costly packages. Do not worry if they are done up in rough wrappings. You may be sure there are treasures of love and kindnessm and wisdom hidden within. If we take what He sends, and trust Him for the goodness in it, even in the dark, we shall learn the meaning of the secrets of providence. -AB Simpson

Not until each loom is silent,

And the shuttles cease to fly,

Will God unroll the pattern

And explain the reason why

The dark threads are as needful

In the Weaver's skillful hand,

As the threads of gold and silver

For the pattern which He planned.

He that is mastered by Christ is the master of every circumstance. Does the circumstance press hard against you? Do not push it away. It is the Potter's hand. Your mastery will come, not by arresting its progress, but by enduring its discipline, for it is not only shaping you into a vessel of beauty and honor, but it is making your resources available.

A Mommy's Heart

I thought that when Abe was born, my heart grew a little to make room for him. One of my anxieties when I was pregnant with Jonah was how on earth I could love that kid as much as Abe. Well, it happened, and it was overwhelming. We have a lot of fun things going on this weekend, and quite frankly, they are things make my heart soar.

First of All, Jonah will be 2. Yes, 2. I can hardly belive it. We are having a birthday party for him this weekend. His personality is fun. He is stout, loves his brother (although Abe is not so nice all the time) and is loud. After Abe's practice yesterday, he ran up and was hugging him, like he had not seen him for a while. He is our comedian and loves to make all of us laugh. More than anything, I love watching him do new things. There is not much he would not try, because he is sooo fearless.

Now, for Abe. He made me a soccer mom this week by starting this sport. I, for one, am excited to meet new people and see him meet new people. His first game is on Saturday- weather permitting. He is in the Pike Youth Soccer league. Which, by the way, makes him like the 3rd generation in our family to play for pike... I played in the 80s, and his Uncle Daniel and Aunt Whitney played in the 90s. There are people on his team that are from Mexico and Africa (I think). He would not get this experience in Central IL- that is for sure! I am glad he will be able to get to know new people.

One another note, one of my dear mommy friends this week lost her 6 year old daughter. I am sad for the family, but she is celebrating with Jesus today. As a mom, I simply cannot imagine. My heart is with them in IL, as they grieve. This little angel gave many lessons to the people that knew her on earth, and I cannot wait to see her in heaven.

I am going to try and put pics up.... or at least get them on my picassa album- good grief it has been awhile since we have done that

soccer, sixty degrees, reading, yard work, delighting

We had an absolutely wonderful weekend. Here is the point- we hung out at home most of time. It was awesome. Saturday we had a pancakes, sausage, and eggs, I cleaned out and organized all the closets and the kitchen- I was like a mad woman, actually! We all got to take naps, we played outside, and we had what Abe called a pajama party- I made homemade pizza, and breadsticks, we cleaned up and got on our jammies and watched Alvin and the Chipmonks. After the boys went to bed Hans and I watched Beowolf- which is an odd story.

On Sunday we went and watched Adyson Joy get dedicated at TPCC. She is so precious! We also went to lunch with everyone. Played outside some more, raked leaves, grilled out, went for a walk and basically hung out together. I miss weekends like this, it has been an awful long time for us to not have to work, go places, or have things to do.

I talked to Abe on the phone and he said he was playing outside- "it's 60 degrees today, mom!" We are so ready for warmer weather. He is going to have a great week because he starts soccer this week. His first game is on Saturday!! We also have been doing reading lessons... he is so eager, I thought that I would not delay it if he is ready.

Jonah is going to be 2 in 2 weeks. Cannot believe it. Time goes to quickly, although, I am ready for him to get out the "terrible twos"! We are in the midst of planning for his b-day... it will a Toy Story party seeing how he cannot get enough of it. He yells Buzz whenever it comes on and gets so excited.

Basically this weekend was a weekend of delight. Delighting in the ordinary, simple things that we do with and for each other everyday. It was sweet and relaxing!

The hope spring gives...

These last couple of weeks something has been stirring inside of me. We are embarking on a new season in our life and this time of year makes me get a little anxious anyway with spring on the horizon. I had one of those moments when I felt my soul being touched by the lord.

In the ugly brown-gray ground, you see little shoots of green. New life is emerging, this is what I am feeling deep inside too. I have been stretched beyond my abillity to comprehend but yet I feel the deep growth of all those promises I have tried to convince myself about- mainly the one saying that God does have a plan for us, one that gives us hope. They have taken root, and are growing.

I am not going to pretend either, every day of this journey has its own challenges. I may not fully understand things, but I know that this too will pass. Just like winter. Winter is exciting when you start out- the snow, hot chocolate, christmas, new years, but the time between winter and spring is hard. I long for spring. I long for the spring in our life. I long for new life and the realized promises it brings.

If you have ever planted bulbs in the fall, you know that they require cold weather to grow in the spring. Well, this is a great metaphor of the "winter" in our life. That season is necessary for the spring growth. My spring is coming- I can smell it.

So my new book I am reading is by my favorite author- Phillip Yancey. It is called Prayer, Does it make a difference. Reading it feels like reacqainting myself with an old friend. I appreciate Yancey's humanity. He is not like a typical christian author. He readily admits that he is no expert in prayer, but a student like all of us. He writes:

If prayer stands as the place where God and human beings meet, then I must learn
about prayer. Most of my struggles in the Christian life circle around the same
two themes: why God doesn't act the way we want God to, and why I don't act the
way God wants me to. Prayer is the precise poin where those themes converge.

I am looking forward to reading about this and the next few months of our journey. I hope this post was an encouragement.

My little Samson!

So you are probably wondering what in the heck I am talking about. Last night I gave Abe a haircut- well, shave really. Here is the story of my night---

Right before I started cooking dinner, I got a phone call from my dad, and we were chatting. Like usual when i am on the phone, the boys act up. Well, Abe was being a stinker and I told him to wait in his room and I would be up in minute. (He has had a hard time this week adjusting to mommy being gone, so he is trying to get my attention.) After the call I went up to find him and he was hacking away at his hair telling me it was too long. I gave him a hug and told him that we would cut it later not to worry. I am trying to show him as much grace as possible right now.

We had dinner, went for a walk, and came home to get ready for bed. While I was examining his hair cut I started trimming and it was cut to the scalp in a lot of places. He was squirmy and I decided maybe it would be better if we got the clippers out. I could not find the gaurds, but I thought, I will just be careful and try to trim it longer. Wrong idea, he is bald now.

After taking one look in the mirror, he freaked. I did not expect his reaction. During the shave, I kept thinking, this is WAY too short, but we can't go back now. He took one look at it and immediately started crying and screaming - saying this is scarry! I kept reassuring him that mommy likes it (in a neo-nazi kind of way). No our family is not a family of skinheads... but we now because Hans and Jonah are taking one for the team. We are shaving them tomorrow.

He was really worried about if it will grow back. When Abe was eating a little snack while I cleaned the kitchen, he looked up and said, "I don't want to show mimi". I told him that it look cute and although I love his curly hair, it will grow back.

Funny thing is that he thought it was going to grow back last night. Two lessons were learned-

1. Don't shave your head right before easter because you will resemble the easter egg.
2. From here on out, we will be taking the boys to get their hair cut by professionals- yes, I guess I will dish out the $$ for it.

If you see Abe, do me favor and don't laugh. Try and be encouraging!

This season of life, rejoicing, growing, and suffering....

Okay, so I know that I have not blogged in like forever, but it is hectic being a working momma. Kudos to all my friends who never left the workforce after thier kiddies were born. I do enjoy my job, but like most women, I enjoy the relationships I am forming with my co-workers. I am going to do a run down of my day...
- wake up around 4:45 am to get myself ready
- try to get downstairs for breakfast, coffee (yes I have taken to coffee, due to the huge amounts of caffiene my body needs at 5 am), lunches that need to be made and feed buddy
- wake boys up at 6 am, and get them fed and dressed (although Jonah is an early riser and he is usually up first)
- out door by 6:30 am to work at 7:00
- work from 7:00- 3:30 home by 4:00- usually
- get home and hope I remembered to get something out for dinner! Pick up, start laundry, put dishes away if I did not have time in the morning and have dinner cooking
- after dinner we do baths and usually we play with the boys- they are in bed by 8
- get everyone's clothes out for next day, and clean kitchen, pick up house
- I usually get to bed between 9-10

It is not so bad once you get used to it. God is good to us, he is so patient and gives us everything we need for each day. After being home for almost 5 years, I have an overwhelming peace about working. I enjoy my job! I seem to appreciate the boys more. It does somewhat feel like a break, although, I am still pretty tired.

We are still in waiting about Hans' future. I never really understood what patience is. I still think that I don't get it. Patience is never easy for me. I know that God is cultivating that fruit in me because I am anxious all the time. Right now we are enjoying where we are at. Hans loves teaching bible as an intern at Traders Point Christian Academy. I think the healing process is ongoing, because we both are a little "gun shy" when it comes to looking for work in a Church. I flat out don't want him to, but I am realizing that this life we are called to is not about our gifts, our interests, but more about surrender. Surrendering to what and where God wants us. His wisdom is beyond our comprehension. I feel my soul getting older through this process. I see my faith changing. I am realizing that I really don't "Trust in the Lord with ALL my heart"- maybe just part of it on most days.

At our church, we have been going through the book of Collosians. A lot of what we have talked about and heard is about community. Last Sunday I sat through the sermon and realized that rejoicing in our suffering is made possible through sharing in our sufferings with our community. Well, with that being said, our house church has been sharing in our sufferings and we are ever greatful for that. At first, I was reluctant to share with them, and I felt like they would not really want to know anyway, because afterall, who wants to invest in people if they may be leaving soon. But they have been awesome for us and now I am scared about the "what ifs..."- like what if we leave, or what if one of them leaves, etc.

Anyway, I am enjoying this season for the time being. It is excruciatingly difficult, but I enjoy the "newness" of it.

Some awesome news is that we have a new niece!!! My brother and sister in law had a new baby girl this weekend!! Her name is Adyson Joy... she was tiny- 7lbs even and 19 inches long!!! Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures soon. Very sweet!

The Last day of Being a Stay at Home Mom...

That's right, today is it. I accepted a position at Trimedx Healthcare Services and I start on Monday. I will talk more about the company later. I am not grieving yet, but I know that I should take extra time today to hug my boys. I am approaching this like eating a hippo- one bite at a time. A lot of change has come to our family and I am surrendering my controlling nature to God who can handle all the details my heart needs to know about.

I have never been a working mother. This is new territory for us. One that I am ready to explore. The tools I am taking on this exploration are simple but hard to use. They include- humility, trust, time management, and organization. All of which seem to be a struggle for me now. I have never followed a tight schedule with the boys, but we are going to be following one from here on out. I think the logistics are worked out for now.

Now about Trimedx. First of all last week I had like 3 awesome opportunities before I got the offer at Trimedx. Actually it was last on mu list, but true to form, every other door slammed shut on Friday... I was in a heap of fear thinking that I would have to start all over with the searching process. I was also in a state of anger for most of the day and trying to figure out what was God up to because he knows I need a job. Late Friday afternoon, I got a call and they offered it to me.

What makes Trimedx stand out is that it is a faith based company with lots of opportunity for me to grow. They started a foundation that takes old but working equipment out of hospitals and send teams of technichions and people from the company on mission trips around the world to help hospitals in needy countries. I will be working for the "for-profit" company, helping customers get the problems they have solved, but I will have opportunities to travel and help with the missions aspect of the company.

True to form, God takes something I am not so sure about and leads the way for me to follow him. I wish I would not be so stubborn in following him. It would make my life easier if I just surrendered everything on a daily basis... my how far I have to go before I understand! I am like a child where I have to learn the same lesson over and over again. Is everyone like this???

More news to come, pray for our family as we adjust to this time. A lot is on my "to-do" list for the weekend to get ready for this life-style change.

2008

Well another year. I like the fact that we have an open road ahead of us. Thankfully, 2007 is over and we can look to what blessings will come. Every year I struggle with resolutions and making them and keeping them. This year, I am throwing them out the window. They have never worked for me, I am tired of buying into the self-help attitude when all I really need to acknowledge is that Jesus accepts me for who I am. Imperfections and all. No more regrets, no more guilt.

I am declaring this year a year of Love- love for my Lord, for all the people that he put in my life or will put in my life and love for myself. This is not going to be a list of changes I want to make this year. This is going to be about all the hope that this year brings me.

No doubt, the promise of hope for a future will be what we cling to this year. So much is unknown, yet, in this moment we are surrounded by people who love us. I know that God is putting into place the exact spot where he wants us, we just are waiting to find it.

Here are some "pit-stops" on our road this year-
1. Hans is interning at Traders Point Christian Academy. It is exciting for him to be learning and teaching bible to middle school kids.
2. I am close to getting a job! I am going to be a working mom and am pretty excited about getting back into the workforce. I have interviewed at some pretty cool places.
3. Hans completes his last semester of classes before his thesis... we are so close to being out of this season!!
4. Abe will be 5 and Jonah will be 2!
5. A new niece will be born in our family in couple of months... can't wait to meet her!


Sure there are a lot of things I want to "change" or do better, but I would not be human if that weren't the case. I am going to take one day at a time and focus on what my blessings are today. Change will come because I am a new creation in Christ and he is always at work in me.

Here is one last picture that sums up our Christmas... Abe and Jonah in the midst of Holiday glee! They were so happy they actually are holding hands without being told to!!

This was our Christmas letter... we decided not to send it out! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!!

As our family looks back over the last year we are reminded of the hope that we all share in Christ. This is the time of year to remember and offer thanksgiving, but also to look forward and offer a message of hope. Most of you know that this year has been a particularly difficult one for us. However, we are going to share the blessings about this year.

Hans has suffered much this year, but he is still holding firm in what he believes and the values that he has. The value of family is strong in his heart, and he has said no to difficult things in order to be with us. He is currently working at Starbucks and is going into his last semester of seminary classes before he writes his thesis. We are both anxious to see what God has in store for him. I (Stacey) have spent a lot of time utterly amazed at God. He is giving me so many gifts right now, even in the midst of my trials or lack of faith. Currently, I am looking for full-time work. I have been blessed to take a class this year with Hans. It is a Marriage Enrichment class and I can see us doing this as a ministry together as it has helped us and we both enjoy helping others.

Abe and Jonah continue to bring us much joy and delight. They bring smiles to our family for sure. Abe turned 4 in July and he is at Traders Point Christian Academy in the Four year old class. He loves it! He is very active and has really enjoyed seeing the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins on a regular basis. (We all love that!) He is enjoying his new church and making new friends. This year in his class, he will be a shepherd in the Christmas pageant. His teacher told us at his conference that he is a blessing to have in class and has such a sweet spirit. Finally, after 20 months, he is starting to like this brother thing! He and Jonah are becoming buddies and it seems like they have an ongoing secret joke between the two of them because they giggle at each other so much. Jonah turned 1 in April! He is wearing us all out as he runs, jumps, climbs and generally gets into everything. He is extremely active and smart. He is also probably going to be the clown in the family as he thoroughly enjoys making us laugh and respond to him. He is following in his big brother’s footsteps with the Thomas the train thing. He loves Thomas!

We have joined a house church at Common Ground Christian Church. It has been the biggest blessing in our life since the move back home. We don’t know everyone that well yet, but they have truly surrounded us in our time of need. We are amazed at this group of people. They have prayed for us, with us and are surrounding us with strong biblical fellowship- which seems to be a balm of healing over our hearts. It still does not feel real yet. But every week they love us for who we are. I can see how this group will soon become an extension of our family. Just like so many of you who have crossed our path along this journey of life.

Our wish to you and your family is that you find the hope that Christ offers this season!

“I keep asking that God our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”- Ephesians 1:17-19

Love to you all,

Hans, Stacey, Abe and Jonah Weber

http://www.the-weber-family.blogspot.com

http://www.hans-journey.blogspot.com