Another update for Sheila's prayer team

I get asked for updates on Sheila Campbell (mama friend with cancer... you can read her story by clicking here) on a pretty regular basis, and you know what?  That just makes me really, really smile inside because I know that I have some very loving friends and readers who care and want to help and pray.  You all make me grateful every single day for this wonderful community of friends I have and enjoy being a part of.

Sweet Sheila wrote me last week, and I thought it would be appropriate to share her message here with you:

Isn't she such a sweetheart?  Let's keep praying for Sheila to regain her strength so that she can return to being a vivacious, energetic mama to her three darling boys.  I know she would love to know we haven't forgotten her!


{Pssst... we love you, Sheila!}

Sweets for Soldiers

Did you know that Israel uses a different calendar than the rest of the world?  They count their years all of the way back to Creation.  For us, the year is 2012 and for Israel the year is 5772.  Interesting, isn't it?

Israel celebrated their Independence Day April 26th, but the rest of the world observes their day of Indepedence as being May 14th.  This is due to the difference in the way they count the length of their years.

This is very captivating information but also helpful to understand why we had a two-week time frame that we spent congratulating Israel and their soldiers on their independence.  During those two weeks we stayed busy passing out these:

For those of you who participated, these were your notes to the soldiers!  And let me tell ya... you really touched the soldiers' hearts with your words of encouragement and support.  The Jews just do not hear that they have friends.  Unfortunately, that fact just is not widely published and they are genuinely grateful to hear that we really do love them and support them.

Israel, we support you!  We love you!  And there are a lot more people out there just like us.

My children enjoyed having a very active part in showing their support, as you can see in the pictures below.  On this particular day, they were able to go room to room, bed to bed, soldier to soldier to pass out their goodies.

I took oodles and caboodles of pictures that I would love to share with you, but I just can't.  We were able to see, touch, and experience all kinds of amazing "guy stuff," and I know I have several men who read this blog and would really enjoy it if I could embellish on those aspects.  However, for safety reasons which I am sure you understand, I do not want to give one itty bitty piece of information or even the slightest peek of Israeli weaponry to the wrong side.  Therefore, just suffice it to say that it was, as my children {especially the boys} would put it, "so coooooool!"

I have also been thinking how happy I am to bring all of my children safely home with me each night. I watch my little boys play with plastic soldiers and listen to them make machine gun sounds as the little plastic soldiers fall over, and I think of how grateful I am for the innocence of their childhood and the fearless nights that they lay their heads on their pillows each night.

And it is all because of soldiers who lose sleep each night to keep our borders safe.

{Above: my favorite picture of the day}

All About My Mom

I mentioned on yesterday's post a worksheet I found here that I would be sharing with you today.  So, this is me... through the eyes of my children.  {I retyped it for you below their pictures and left the spelling just the way they had it.  Explanations and comments are my own.}

All About My Mom by: David
My Mom's name is Jolene.
She is 33 years old.
She is 5 feet 2 inches tall.
She weighs 150 pounds.  {Ummm, I need to have a talk with this kid about guessing ladies' weight.  It is always best to guess low, Davey, not high!}
Her favorite tv show is Duggars. {We occasionally watch 19 Kids and Counting together.  Sweet times.}
Her favorite food is veggies.
Her favorite thing to drink is water.
Her favorite thing to do is play with kids.
She likes to wear modest clothes.
My Mom is REALLY good at playing with kids and cooking.
I like it best when my Mom plays with us.
My favorite thing to do with my Mom is play.
During the day my Mom works to make us comfortable.  {Whew, thanks Davey for adding that one in.  I was beginning to think I was going to have to explain to these dear people that I really do work!}

All About My Mom by: Nathanael Thomas Sloan, May 2012, Sat.
My Mom's name is Jolene.
She is 33 years old.
She is 4 3/4 feet 2 inches tall.  {you or me?!}
She weighs 45 pounds.  {When guessing low on a ladies' weight, you have to stay within the believable range, Nate.  But, better to err on the side of too low than too high, I guess!}
Her favorite tv show is Duggars.
Her favorite food is pancakes.
Her favorite thing to drink is Diet Pepsi.
Her favorite thing to do is see us happy.  {You got that right, buddy!}
She likes to wear jewlry.
My Mom is REALLY good at being kind.
I like it best when my Mom smiles, takes me to the park, swim
My favorite thing to do with my Mom is swim.  {We've been to the Mediterranean Sea twice this week and it has been a blast!}
During the day my Mom is kind.  {Yikes!  What about during the evenings?! LOL!}

All About My Mom by: Brianna
My Mom's name is Jolene.  {love her backwards letter J!}
She is 33 years old.
She is 5 feet 11 inches tall.  {I know I seem tall to you, sweetie, since you're only 5.}
She weighs 115 pounds.  {gotta love her!}
Her favorite tv show is Dugrs.  (Duggers)
Her favorite food is grilbchessamich. (grilled cheese sandwich)
Her favorite thing to drink is cofe. (coffee)
Her favorite thing to do is work on the kupubr.  (work on the computer)  {I don't do this much in front of them, but she knows I do enjoy it.... especially when I get to write about them!}
She likes to wear prplthigs. (purple things)
My Mom is REALLY good at kokeg. (cooking)
I like it best when my Mom kokse. (cooks)
My favorite thing to do with my Mom is woth (space) a move. (watch a movie)  {She didn't mean a "space movie."  She was letting me know that she accidentally wrote her letters too closely together.  Cutie.}
During the day my Mom koke. (cooks)  {Apparently I do a lot of cooking and they like that!}

And just because he is irresistibly adorable, I included a picture of Micah.  Maybe we'll get to hear his thoughts of Mom in a couple of years!

So, how about you all, my Mommy friends?  Try printing out a worksheet for yourself and see what your kids have to say about you.  It's a lot of fun and, not to mention, a great keepsake!