Officially Montana!!!

It's official! We have our Montana license plates!!! 

Hiking in Lone Pine and Wayfarers Park

We have found a state park close to the cabin that we love! It is not near as big as Oak Mountain, but lots of fun can be had there. Hiking, mountain biking, trail running, a super cool interpretive center and a walking archery course :-)

These pictures are from a few weeks ago, the first time we went to check it out. Since then, we've been back 4 or 5 times. It is free and only about 10 minutes away. Perfect!

Kiera posing for the camera

All the kiddos right after we had found Ross on the trail. He was running while we were hiking.

The long walk back to the car

Mason and Daddy

We have found another state park that we like well, also - there is camping, the lake, a playground and some hiking trails. What more could you want? The water was cold and the air wasn't that warm, but the kids insisted on getting wet :-)

Selah and Kiera

Mason with his new water gun - doesn't he look like he is up to no good?

Selah, the monkey, just hanging out

Kiera and Mason Dancing

I caught a special moment with the two of them getting along and dancing together:

http://vimeo.com/66863097

Mason turned 3!!!

On May 10th, Mason turned 3. My baby is no longer a baby. I have mixed emotions about this - mostly excitement, but a little sadness as we leave the baby phase. He can pour his own cereal (when he feels like it), open his own cheese sticks, use the potty and goes to preschool - I'm telling you, he is a big boy now! Except that he still wakes me in the middle of the night to help him get water or go to the bathroom, he still likes to cuddle and he LOVES to be tickled (see video proof: http://vimeo.com/67237086) He will always be my little boy too!

For his birthday, we had a party at the base playground, lots of friends came. He received lots of fun toys, especially guns! Water guns (2 types), Bubble guns, Pop guns, Dart guns (2 types). And also trucks, cars, play doh, bouncy balls and dress-up outfits. A lucky boy indeed!

Kiera and Saul

Lots of cupcakes for anyone who might want to join us!

Anna Grace, Mason, Selah, Alex

Unicorn Daddy

Leah and Steph

Monster Boy!

Superman

As you can see, Mason got a superman suit for his birthday! And now he thinks he can fly :-)

Thank you, Mimi and Papa!

selah's school performance

At Selah's school last week there was a performance by the first and third graders. They sang songs, acted out a few songs and played instruments. It was themed summer and fun! Selah loved that she had to bring a beach towel and sunglasses for her special part! 

She was right up front singing her heart out and also directing the other children when they were supposed to move to different places for each song. At the bottom is a video clip of the performance.

This is a picture of Selah at school on the day they celebrated her birthday (since she has a summer birthday). Kiera is next to her looking like she fits right in :-)

Video clip:  http://vimeo.com/67237088

Ross in Mexico

Two weeks ago, Ross traveled to the YWAM San Diego base which also has locations in Tijuana, MX and Ensenada, MX. He spent most of the time at the Tijuana base where they have a large construction process under way. The San Diego base's (and all their locations) primary ministry is called "Homes of Hope". This is where a group (usually families and friends on vacation or students on a mission trip) comes for a few days and builds a new home for a family in Tijuana or Ensenda. Tijuana is expanding their living quarters and building 4 new buildings so that more people can come volunteer and double the number of homes that are built a year. This past year 180 homes were built. This year they are hoping to build close to 400 homes!

Here is a video with more information about this ministry and the people they serve:

http://vimeo.com/43000273

Here are a few pictures of a restaurant and food (of course!):

and a few pictures of the construction:

Prayer Requests - 5/27/13

Prayer Requests 5/27/13

1. Trip to Birmingham - We are leaving in 10 days to travel to Birmingham, AL; Charlotte, NC; and Brandon, FL. Ross will be with us for 10 days and the kids and I will travel for 12 more days without him. We are so excited to see everyone. Please pray for safe travel, healthy kids and lots of time to reconnect with friends and family.

2. Nelson's Eye - Ross' step-father has a torn retina that will probably require surgery in the future, but for now, the doctors are keeping a close eye on him and having him take care of his eye. They have a vacation planned and are hoping to go on the vacation and then have the surgery later in the summer. Please pray that his eye gets better and not worse while enjoying vacation. And yes, this is a similar prayer request as a month ago. Both of Ross' step-parents have had the same problem with their eye at the same time. Odds of this???

Thank you to all who are praying. Please send me your prayer requests too! (lane_lackey@yahoo.com)

Prayer Requests 5/1/13

1. Trip to Birmingham - We are traveling to Birmingham in June for 6 days, but it isn't long enough! I'm not sure how to see everyone that I miss. Prayers for how to spend our time and that the trip would be fun and not rushed. This is going so well! I've got my excel spreadsheet of friends and family to see. I'm so excited about this trip home.

2. Transition - Yet another transition is coming our way next week. Mason is going to start preschool on Monday, which means that I get to start working at 100 Fold on Monday also. Please pray that we would all transition well. Mason will probably be tired after school, but we don't have a good nap place set up - so pray for his rest. Also, I haven't had a regular work schedule in so long, so pray that momma working is good for the family :-) Mason is doing really well with preschool. The few times he has cried when I have left is because I wouldn't let him bring his gun or because he was going on a field trip and didn't understand why they weren't leaving right that minute!!! Work is going well for me, I feel so much more balanced as a person, enjoying being a momma way more as I get a little outlet where I get to think or interact with adults for a few hours a day.

3. Marriage - Ross and I love being married and we love it even more when we get to date :-) We are figuring out how to go on a date each week and really prioritize our marriage even in the midst of amazing community (sometimes we find that we don't have time alone because of so much fun time with our friends). Please pray that will we get to make this a regular rhythm in our marriage, that our friends will be able to keep our kiddos, that our kids will see the fruit of this time and that our marriage would be even stronger. Date times are going well - so far we have gone on a trail run, mountain biking and to a movie :-) This week I'm hoping for another trail run and then dessert :-)

4. Mary Lou's Eye - Ross' step-mother had to have emergency eye surgery to repair a torn retina. She is in the midst of recovery right now. Pray for full vision. Mary Lou is recovering well. Her vision isn't completely back, but she doesn't have to lay face down anymore and she can drive and work. YEAH!

Ross' Happenings

I usually write about the kids and myself or our family, but often fail to write about what is going on with Ross and 100 Fold. Here is a quick update.

Ross traveled to South Carolina a few weekends ago to visit our dear friends, the Wideners. They just purchased a house and he went to see the house, talk with them about how they want to live and function in the house and then design a new floor plan. He had a blast getting to be with our friends and also getting to help them see what could be, what will be in their new home :-)

He has also been busy at work with multiple projects - One of the projects will take him to Mexico in a few weeks, one of them kept he and John up all night getting ready to present it the next day. All of them are fun and challenging and he comes each day just loving what God has allowed for him to be a part of. Each day when he gets home I ask, "How was your day?", He says, "Great!". I ask, "What made it great today?" and he always replies, "I get to do work that I love, that I feel has purpose, I work with people that I really like and I just feel so blessed that this is my life."

Thank you to everyone who supports us in prayer, financially, encouraging words, shopping trips... :-)

We are so thankful and feel so privileged that we have been called to this ministry.

Random

The cows and baby cows that we drive by each day - we stop to watch the baby cows and each have a favorite 

Mason with Nana's glasses. Always a clown :-)

The kiddos listening to their books from Mimi and Papa - all at the same time!

God is always teaching me

Thursday our base had a full morning dedicated to prayer. It was so wonderful to pray for my friends, our nation, town, schools, families, children, military... We covered a lot of ground in prayer that morning. But through all the praying, God kept convicting me of a few things and getting me excited also about my role as a mother. God spoke to me about my children - First, reminding me that they are children, they aren't the adults I expect them to act like. Second - that I need to and WANT to spend time teaching them about Jesus, not just who He is, but how He acts, how He loves. How He can help each of us love like Him. I was happy about being a mother who has the time and energy to be with my children, to model God's love and to teach them about loving others. I am so excited for them to be a light in the world, a light to their friends, a light in their schools. Shining brightly with their encouraging words, generous hearts and kind spirits. Wow! Wasn't it awesome of God to show me these things and put these longings in my heart? It didn't feel condemning or difficult, it felt like I'd been released into a ministry that God has been preparing me for for years.

This realization also helped me to understand one of the many reasons we need margin in our lives. Because without margin there isn't time to read and play together, to pray together before bed, to cuddle on the couch just because. There isn't time to love each well. Oh, I'm so excited for the future with my 3 wonderful children!

Selah and Mason cuddling on the couch "just because"

A trip to the dentist

All 3 children had the privilege of going to the dentist last week. I say privilege for a few reasons:

1. There are children in other countries that do not have access to dental care

2. Healthy Montana Kids covers the kids dental care

3. They LOVED it! You get to watch a movie while the very nice dental assistant brushes and flosses your teeth. What kid won't sit still with their mouth open if a movie is playing inches from their face?

This was our first experience with a pediatric dentist. While we loved our family dentist back in Birmingham, I now understand why people take their kids to pediatric dentists, it is just so easy and fun for the kids. Why not help them like dental visits instead of dragging them there kicking and screaming? They all left with toothbrushes, toothpaste, a prize from the different "gumball" style machines AND vitamins that contain fluoride. Yes, we live in yet another city that doesn't have fluoride in the water :-) It's okay, apparently the vitamins are pretty tasty and they make sure they don't miss a day.

We will definitely be back in 6 months!

Family Visits

This past week has been so fun! We had two very special visitors. My mom ("Nana") came for a whole week. She stayed in Selah's room, which means the kiddos were all in one room again.  Selah was in a sleeping bag, then the other two were jealous because they wanted to be in sleeping bags, so before you knew it, all 3 were in sleeping bags for the week :-)

Mom and I spent the week sightseeing, reading to the kids and shopping. We found some of the local antique stores, tried out a few restaurants and then Mom took me clothes shopping :-) I hadn't shopped for clothes for probably a year, so it was super fun to get a few new items.

On top of my fun, the kids LOVED having Nana here. She read to them, helped them get ready in the mornings and evenings, watched them a few nights while Ross and I were out, played games with them, colored with them.

It was such a treat for all us to be spoiled and loved on by Nana. Taking us out to meals and generally making our life easier and more fun for a week :-)

Here are pictures from our visit to Murdoch's to see the chicks and rabbits:

I forgot to mention that we had a family bowling night with Nana:

On Friday, Nana's last night, Uncle Bret stopped in for a surprise visit. He was traveling up to Canada and stopped by to say hello on Friday night and then again on Sunday night on his way back down. We hadn't seen Uncle Bret in 3 years, so this was a wonderful surprise.  It was super fun to see Bret with his nieces and nephew - making pancakes for them and playing monopoly with them - as well as dancing with them and throwing them up in the air. No pictures from that visit. Bummer.

Prayer Requests - 5/1/13

Prayer Requests 5/1//13

1. Trip to Birmingham - We are traveling to Birmingham in June for 6 days, but it isn't long enough! I'm not sure how to see everyone that I miss. Prayers for how to spend our time and that the trip would be fun and not rushed.

2. Transition - Yet another transition is coming our way next week. Mason is going to start preschool on Monday, which means that I get to start working at 100 Fold on Monday also. Please pray that we would all transition well. Mason will probably be tired after school, but we don't have a good nap place set up - so pray for his rest. Also, I haven't had a regular work schedule in so long, so pray that momma working is good for the family :-)

3. Marriage - Ross and I love being married and we love it even more when we get to date :-) We are figuring out how to go on a date each week and really prioritize our marriage even in the midst of amazing community (sometimes we find that we don't have time alone because of so much fun time with our friends). Please pray that will we get to make this a regular rhythm in our marriage, that our friends will be able to keep our kiddos, that our kids will see the fruit of this time and that our marriage would be even stronger.

4. Mary Lou's Eye - Ross' step-mother had to have emergency eye surgery to repair a torn retina. She is in the midst of recovery right now. Pray for full vision.

Thank you to all who are praying. Please send me your prayer requests too! (lane_lackey@yahoo.com)

Prayer Requests 4/10/13

1. Balance - There are so many things I want to do and so many people I want to get to know, but then I realize that my time with God or time with my kids is suffering. I need to learn how to balance my family, my God and my interests and leave room for margin - which is where all the fun happens, right? - One way this prayer has been answered is through a friend of mine who I've started running my ideas of things to get involved with and commitments by and she is good to remind me to slow down and not overcommit. I'm so thankful for a friend who will help me say no to the good things, leaving room for the best things.

2. Mason - He is getting ready to go to preschool on May 2. He is so excited and thinks he is ready. Please be praying that he will have an easy transition into school 3.5 hours a day for 5 days a week. I don't think it will be an issue because he is so excited about it, but still, a little prayer never hurt. - This will happen on Monday, May 6. He seems super ready, thank you for your prayers.

3. God - That I would make time with God a priority. - Still working on this. This might be a lifelong pursuit - but I did find a coffee shop close to our house that opens early and stays open late, so I have a place to go and journal and have some of that time alone that I long for. Yeah for coffee shops!