Doing the Robot for Jesus

 May I introduce you to the Robot dance on the Wii game Just Dance 3 via Jacob Lyons

Occasionally I go to a local hearing church for their Saturday service and special conferences and sometimes the kids go with me. One night this past week I took Jacob in with me during the time of worship through music. We don't have instruments at our church (only sub woofers :) so Jacob was really fascinated with all the different instruments. He watched wide eyed and then began to dance like a wild man first standing on the seats then jumping down to the floor. He danced, and danced and danced. At one point I looked down, and sure enough, he was busting out his Robot moves. We walked to his class later on and had the following conversation

Me- "Jacob did you have fun dancing for Jesus?"
J- " Yep! I do this (shows me some more robot moves)

I recently read this post which reminded me that God does indeed delight in what delights His children. So I loved with my whole being being able to respond...

Me: "I'm pretty sure Jesus loved your Robot dance"
J- Big grin "Yeah he did"



May your day be filled with delightful things and acknowledgment of a God who delights over you.

Thanksgiving 2011

This year for Thanksgiving we meet up with Brancent's mom, step-dad, sister, brother in law, two nephews, brother, niece, two aunts, two uncles and two cousins in Mountain Home, Arkansas where Brancent's mom and step-dad own a house and several areas of land. On the way there we stopped and spent the night in Tulsa (Thanks Aunt Dee!), but on the way back drove the whole way. Long. Drive. We had a great time getting to see everyone and loved the area. Lots of trees and hills (Ozark area). We were able to visit a trout hatchery and it was a super cool experience. My family could have stayed out there all day, especially the beautiful stream where the trout are released. Being from the Panhandle gives you a fascination with trees and streams (or any body of water) like none other. Tire swing, fire pit, football, football and more football, making Jolly rancher suckers, Lion King, early Christmas gifts, scary lady in bathrobe asking people to cop a feel at walmart, multiple adventure walks, Wahoo, Dixie the dog, stick guns, lots of cousin play time, fish hatchery, gentle rain....we left with full hearts and bellies :)

 

 Jacob checking out the baby trout- they looked like minnows

 Brancent and his pretty momma

 When someone would walk up to the tanks the fish would start splashing like crazy. People can buy feed and feed them so it's safe to say they like people.

 Jolly Rancher Suckers- Great and simple idea posted on the Bonjour blog

 Jacob found a pipe from a broken windchime and dubbed it his gun - here he was shooting birds.

A weekend to remember

The first weekend of November was a busy one and hopefully one that will have a lasting impact. 

My brother and nephew came into town so there was a lot of cousin silliness which involved boxes.

 

On Saturday morning Katie danced down Polk Street with her dance class from school for the Veterans Parade. I didn't even know we had a veterans day parade. She did fabulous, it was cold and her asthmatic lungs took a beating,  We were sitting at the end of the parade route and when I saw her face and cheeks I knew she was hurting, but she stuck it out!

 (notice a familiar monkey and handsome red head in the background)

That afternoon Jacob went to PawPaw's and we began to get ready for a very special banquet. Katie had been attending a mentoring group called Pearls. It's a 8 week program provided by Carenet. The focus was relationships, purity, modesty etc. There were shopping trips, photo shoots, a weekend retreat at a Bed and Breakfast and many words of encouragement and affirmation. Katie and I talk a lot. Maybe that's one of the bonuses to the step-mom/daughter relationship, but we are very open. However, when certain topics are discussed with college age mentors (who are way cooler than me) they are received and processed with more heaviness. The last event for Pearls was a banquet. Nails were done, hair was fixed (thanks Edna!) and off we went. Aside from a great meal in a beautiful room each girl was given a verse the mentor's had been praying over them and there was a special sideshow featuring baby and recent pictures of the girls. The parents were asked to write and read a letter to their daughter. Brancent and I decided for our situation (Dad/step-mom, deaf/hearing) it would be best to each write Katie a letter. I'm not gonna lie-tears flowed. Afterward Brancent presented Katie with a purity ring to remind her of the commitments she has made. Being a parent is such an awesome responsibility, and seeing this beautiful young lady begin to spread her wings knowing the world can be so harsh is such a scary thing. Without the peace of Christ I would be a basket case. Katie has made several stands at school when friends have tried to push her in a direction she knows is wrong. We are so proud of her. I think one of my favorite things I was able to put in her letter was this "Stand secure in that your Creator delights in his creation, and that is YOU! Don't ever let anyone tell or lead you to feel otherwise." I have just now began to come to this realization myself. My heart aches for my children to know how precious they are to the Creator and in turn to know how absolutely amazing and loving He is. 

Side note: A few weeks later there was a Thanksgiving program in which my wild Indian pulled up his shirt and scratched his little pot belly for all to see and of course he was on the front row. We have so much to be thankful for!

Snow!

The week before Holloween we got a pleasant surprise....SNOW! It ended up snowing for longer than had been predicted. Big, fat, wet flakes, it was beautiful. The different, albeit age appropriate reactions of the kids were as follows:
Me: "Katie it snowed!"
Katie: "Oh no! Now my feet will be wet and cold!" (pouts)
Me: "Um...so wear your Ugg boots"
Katie: " I don't have any skinny jeans, they will look funny." ???? She wore them anyways and they looked fine. That's life with a 13 year old. She is delightful tho and was ready for snowballs when she got home from school.
Me: "Jacob it snowed!"
Jacob: (Gasp) "YAY! We go outside make snowballs throw snowballs at you and make ice cream and stir in the big bowl and, and, and, I wanna go outside!"
It was very cold and he did not get to go outside. So here are 4 things he suggest to do when you are "snowed in":

1. Watch Donald Duck in Mathmagic land. Crack up repeatedly. Only Donald  Duck can make playing Jazz with Pythagoreans funny.

 

2. Do some reading

3. Have your mom draw a Goliath face on the window..

 

Grab a super soft ball and slingshot it while pretending to be David. Occasionally quote from the children's Bible story book "When the Philistines saw their hero was dead, they turned around and ran away"

 

4. Take a really long good nap

Props to Libby Bonjour for using her iphone pics on her blog....would have never thought about using them on here otherwise!

Oh what a night!

Growing up my family never participated in Halloween. I mean never. When Fall Festivals became a hit we got involved in that which my sweet tooth was forever thankful for. I don't feel slighted in the least at not having that as part of my childhood. My parents and many others at the time felt they were doing what was best, and for loving me enough to say no, I'll be fGorever grateful.
However, as I have grown my outlook on the day has changed. For years I have put together something on Halloween for kids whose parents would rather them in a safe place than out on the street. Honestly, there was part of me who did did it for the little Melanie's who might not get candy otherwise. My thinking came from lets take what the world intends for evil and use it instead to bring glory to God. Through the last few years there has been something pressing me even further. Last year I read this lovely post and it stretched my thinking even more: http://mamamonk.com/2011/10/31/its-halloween-yall/
Shouldn't Christians take every opportunity to reach out to the community around them? What better way to meet your neighbors than over cute costumed kids and candy?
So that's exactly what we did. We took the kids to some trunk and treats then headed back to our neighborhood.

My favorite moments of the night:

-The excitement when it was costume time and the imaginative play that came with a wolf hoodie and a nerd girl (inhaler in a lanyard was my idea-the rest all Katie's)
-Brancent posing proudly with his nerd girl and putting it on Facebook for all to see.
-The look on Jacob's face when people dropped candy in his bag (that he didn't have to potty for!) and hearing his tiny voice say "thank you" as he looked at them in awe.
-Seeing my 3 yr old about to bust with excitement seeing kids come to our door knowing that he was gong to get to put blow-pops and in their bags.
-Seeing my 13 year old more excited about giving away candy than getting it and explaining to her brother exactly what to do "Don't run out into the yard, wait for them to get to the door"
-Meeting a young family down the street.

Summer of H20

This summer was one of the hottest and driest Amarillo has ever seen. However, it has been one of the wettest summer's in the Lyons history. Now before you get jealous, please know that most of our pool time was spent in an inflatable pool in the backyard. When there is no central air and the swamp cooler is no longer cooling in 108 degree heat, you do whatever is necessary. We pretty much lived, cooked, and swam out back every night. Which lead to my husbands and his friend Jesse's hidden talent of alligator wrestling or idiocy...

Yeah I know, there are no words for that. Summer of H20 also included a afternoon at Hurricane Harbor on a trip with the youth to a conference in Dallas. Jacob was obsessed with the big bucket that dumped water. Katie was there too, but not in any of the pictures. When you are 13 and at a water park with friends the last thing you want to do is hang out with your parents and little brother.

 The four of us also journeyed to a small town nearby, Dumas, to enjoy their fun water area...

and spent an afternoon at Splash our local water park. 

Combined with all the many church activities, camp, mission trip to Jamacia, marriage retreat, and the passing of Brancent's sweet Maw Maw....it was a wild summer.
Then the weekend before school started came the piece de resistance. My parents decided to take the 8 of us (my parents, the four Lyons and my brother and nephew) on a family trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX. It was a blast! If you don't know what Great Wolf Lodge is you should Google it. Indoor water park and hotel with lots of activities The size of the whole thing was amazing. We had so much fun and were absolutely exhausted by the time we headed home. I must mention that Jacob is in a floaty even in the shallow water, because he is a crazy man in the water and has zero fear. We think he is trying to swim but it looks like he is trying to drown himself due to the fact he can't hold his breath yet. We love that floaty. Caution: Picture overload ahead...

 We did sneak across the street to the Gaylord Texan and have a look around. Pretty Impressive!