AM~Erica Whirlwind

So anyway...

I'm full swing in my job now. My schedule varies everyday, and I am floating room-to-room most of the time. Christian LOVES his school! He gets so excited when we pull into the parking lot!

Lizzie is having fun with her play, " Once Upon A Mattress". As it turns out, their choreographer was pregnant & due mid to late December, but she delivered 10 weeks early. YIKES!! So, that left the middle school play without a choreographer, right?? Well, guess who was asked to step up & take on the role! Yep! Yours truly! This will be so much fun! I've already done a high school version of "Pippin" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe". I met with the director, and will start my rehearsals in November, when the rehearsal times get longer. So exciting!

Oh! I was also asked to take over the traditional "candle dance" for our church's Hanging of the Greens service. No pressure there! So I will be doing that throughout November, too.

In the meantime, I am cleaning my house for my mom & dad to come visit for Ethan's 10th (boo-hoo, sniffle-sniffle) b-day on Sunday. She is designing the coolest cake for him. He is going to have a Medieval party with knights & princesses on Saturday afternoon. I will get pics of the invites and put them up. That's about as crafty as I get (mom & Heidi)!! Ethan & I tea/coffee stained the invites to look old. They turned out so awesome!

Before the party happens on Saturday, it turns out my workplace holds their Halloween party on the Saturday AM prior to the holiday. This is so that any families who do not want their kids to participate in the party are not really left out. This way, they don't have to come to the 2-hour event. However, this is their 1 big social gathering every year (the whole 2½ years they've been open). So, all employees are supposed to participate, but I've been given the option since I JUST came on. So I think I will since I will get paid for it. Then my mom (and maybe dad) can come up with Chris to see where I work. Plus, there is a costume contest for the teachers...YEA!! It's what I live for!

Whew! Got lots going on, and very little time to do it in. I will do my best to keep up my posts during the craziness.

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica Gets Jobbed!

So anyway...

It's Official!!

Here's how it breaks down:

* The preschool went out & pulled my resume & contacted me

* The job is mine if I want it, I just need to give the OK

* The preschool can get me on the schedule on Monday

* There will be benefits & holiday pay

* There will be pay starting next week

* There is a place for Christian to be

* I will be working with kids

OK ~ bottom line is ... I've accepted the position!

The other position would be great, but I don't even interview until next week, that still leaves me without childcare, I don't know if there would be benefits, etc. The point is, the preschool wants me now! And, I would still have $$ from each paycheck for anything extra we would need...even after paying for discounted daycare. Plus, it just felt right.

Prayers are appreciated as I begin this new transistion in the continuation of newness in our lives in StL!

Love you all & stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica Insanity

So anyway...

Things have been a little crazy around here. Could you tell since I haven't posted anything in over a week?

Oh, where to start.....hmmm...

Just over a week ago, my hubby had a conference in KC, so we all went to see family & such while he was doing his thing. We never thought about the fact that HE would have the mode of transportation. We got to spend time with family, so it was nice; we also had my mom-in-law fighting having to go to the ER from severe back pain. She didn't want to go to the ER because we were in town. We all made her go.

Then, we got a call this past week (I believe it was Wednesday) that my mom-in-law was unresponsive, so they had to take her back to the ER. This time they admitted her. So, we surprised her by going back to KC for moral support (although she thought she was dying when she saw us walk into the room). She has a growth on her pancreas, and they want to know what it is - it's been rumored to be her spleen regenerating or a tumor. They have to do a biopsy to find out, but they haven't done it yet, but they are supposed to do it today...and yes, she's been in the hospital this whole time...getting test, after test, after test...etc. You have to understand that there is a lot of health issues going on with her, so EVERYTHING has to be monitored. She needs prayers....a lot of them. We had to come back on Sunday so the kids could get back to school, and my hubby had a dr. appt. of his own. So we await news from afar...

When we got back home, there was a message on our answering machine from someone who got my resume on CareerBuiler, and wanted to talk to me. No, they didn't want me to sell insurance; it's a preschool in the area. Well, I called them & they wanted me to come in to fill out an application. I did that yesterday, along with a tour of the facilities & an impromtu interview. What's to come of it? The job is pretty much mine & she told me she could schedule me next week if I'M interested. Whoa! Did you hear that? Oh, yeah...because of my previous expierence, they want to start me at a higher wage than their typical start, plus benefits kick in after 90 days, plus Christian will have daycare. Why haven't I picked up the phone to say "Sign me up"? I have a job interview set up for next week at a nearby church.

A few weeks ago, a staff member at our church called me to see if I was still job hunting. When I told her I was, she said there was a job posting in her local paper for a nearby United Methodist Church needing an office manager. When I asked my hubby about the church (he's in the know), it turns out I know the senior pastor there. For the last 5-6 years, she has always told me to never change & always be myself...especially being a pastor's wife. That has stayed in my head, so I was so excited to hear it is her church (she came over to the StL side from KC the same time we did). Plus, our church's lay leader, who is also attending seminary, is doing her residency at this church as the associate pastor.

So, I am torn. I am trying to figure out whether I should wait for the other interview, or jump on the present opportunity. I am in deep prayer and consideration right now.

I do have to share with you my "God-Moment" from yesterday. It's a brisk & crisp fall Monday morning, and I have just seen by daughter onto the bus at 6:48 AM, and as I walk back home, by way of the church parking lot, to get my son ready for his bus, I looked over to my left, and there is a doe watching me & she's about 15 feet away from me. She was beautiful and serene, but she is still wild, and I have to walk past her to get home...I was hoping she didn't have to attack me. I walked slowly by & tried not make too much eye contact so she would know I wasn't a threat. She took a step back, and I knew she was either scared, or she was getting ready to attack me. As I put together a plan in my head incase of the attack, she just watched me & I began to watch her...I then realized there were two smaller deer, just past fawn stage, about 30 feet behind her. It was beautiful. Then I got home to get the trash to the curb, and realized we have a rose growing in our yard - a big deep magenta rose in full bloom...I got to stop and smell it.

It's amazing what God puts in front of us, and we never realize it. But isn't it beautiful when we do see it?

Oh yeah, in the midst of this, I am trying to plan a birthday party for my son (who is going to be 10 - boo hoo), prepare for Halloween, and guests from out-of-town (my side of the fam). Whew!

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica Presents: Near Escape

So anyway...

After reading a couple of posts concerning my youngest's knack for escaping, you will understand why we now own a monkey back-pack leash & have added alarms to the front door, back door and the door going into the garage that makes a horrible chirpping noise when the door is opened while the alarm is set. Our basement door came with a dead bolt lock located very high up.

With that being said, here's what happened:

This one night, I believe it was a Monday, I was exhausted, my hubby was channel surfing & we were talking about stuff, and the kids were playing the PlayStation in older boy's room - this was after we had been to the store as a family. It was getting close (actually past) bedtime, so my hubby started getting the kids around, and I had to try to finish up some laundry in the basement that I forgot about; I heard crazy running around upstairs and got a bit irritated since they were so riled up at bedtime, when my hubby threw open the basement door & asked if lil guy was down there with me...he wasn't...

We looked in all of the weird places he likes to hide, we tried to find new ones. The last place we knew of was in the bedroom watching the kids play the game. None of the alarms had gone off, so we didn't think he'd gone outside, but we thought we'd check the doors anyway...the alarm wasn't reset on the door going to the garage. We forgot to reset it when we came in, so we figured he was playing in the garage...GRRR...so...we opened the door...and found...the garage door open! Apparently a broom had fallen into the laser path of the garage door opener sensor & never closed! GULP!!

Little boy...new town...after 10:00 @ night...how did he get past all of us?? We are replaying the night in our heads: were the kids too into their game to see him leave the room?; were we too into our conversation to hear the door to the garage being opened? So, I did what any mom would do - I ran out of the house to search for him! Teen Girl? Hysterically crying & SCREAMING his name through the neighborhood, so much so that she fell in one of our neighbor's sloped driveways & scraped herself up...I am trying to keep her as calm as possible while I am terrified inside...older boy is joining the search on the other side of the street & my hubby takes off in the minivan...

OOPS!! That leaves no one at home incase he shows up! So Teen Girl & older boy go back to the house, hubby continues search by driving & I go the the church parking lots to see if he has tried to get into any of the doors or is playing on the playground equipment. As I searched the last parking lot with no sign of him playing on the playground, the minivan pulls up to see if I had seen any sign of him...

At this point, I drop to my knees in hysterical prayer, praying to God that my son is safe & fine & we will find him OK...then I hurry up to run to the other side of the church & across the street...because...there are woods there - what if he'd gone there?

As I am running (barefoot) toward the woods, the minivan pulls up again...my hubby tells me to get it...he's been found...

At home...

Asleep in bed...

WHAT???

Yes indeed, the kids got so into their game they didn't realize he'd put himself to bed. Uh, he had no nap that day.

Apparently the kids got home & Teen Girl made older boy hold our prayer shawl with her (a beautiful ministry at our church that we were given a gift of when we moved), and pray hard for lil guy to be found...then...they heard something...like a creaking of a bed...

So, they looked & there he was, fast asleep. He had no idea what chaos had been going on.

My hubby used this as a devotion soon afterward. He told some campers that when we want to see God, we expect to see Him right there & then, but if we don't see Him out in the open, we search frantically...but He is there all along, we just tend to look right past it.

Oh yeah, and we ALWAYS make sure the alarms are set, too.

Stay tuned for more...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica Hears a Child's Prayer

So anyway...

When my older son, Ethan, was about 3 or 4(he is almost 10 now), he was learning how to begin praying on his own - like a big boy. I would still offer up help if he wanted it, but I would let him decide if he wanted me to help, or if he wanted to do it all by himself.

This night, he offered to do it on his own, so I stood close by to listen to him, and this is what I heard"

" Dear God,

Thank you for everything I have... (awww...melts a mommy's heart)

...but I still need more stuff!"

WHAT?!?

I love my son, and I want to teach him that he can pray however he needs to, but how do you hear that last line & not laugh? I think I snickered, but controlled it.

Ah...out of the mouths of babes...

Stay tuned for more good ones!

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica Crap~Pie

So anyway...

The other day, my daughter comes into the family room, and proceeds to ask me what a crap pie was. I thought she was kidding, but she kept on talking about this "crap-pie" she'd read about.

She said she saw it on the computer, and said it was a type of fish that is spelled c-r-a-p-p-i-e.

I burst out laughing! I told her it was a crappie (pronounced croppy).

Later I found out she heard about it while "fishing" on the millsberry.com site for kids - a virtual town where she went fishing in the virtual pond. OK - I would hope that a site for kids would not encourage them to use terms like "crap pie". Ew!

I'm so glad she's pretty, anyway!

Stay tuned!

God Bless, AM~Erica