Renewal Complete

Before I begin the real point of this post I need to apologize that almost 2 months have passed and I have not done a single post about our new handsome man, Samuel Cord Bullock. I started this blogspot to pass along tons of pictures of our first born son and as time has passed, children have been added and life has happened the posts have lessened to a near total despair in blog land. BUT, I am promising a great attempt in 2013 to blog again and the only reason I can say with great determination that I can pull through is that the blog is now going to be my scrapbook as well. I have many books perfectly (as perfect as someone with zero artistic gifting can pull off) kept of family memories but that is no longer a remote reality. So I feel the solution to all of my slacking needs will be to make the blog my scrapbook. The good news is that pictures will be promised and my goal is going to be at least to post once a month. The bad news is this is still real life so we can only hope and pray for the best. Ok, onto the point, love you guys, thanks for reading....

Many years ago, a dear friend of mine told me about a concept her pastor had introduced to her and that was a New Year's Word - one single word- from the Lord. Around the upcoming New Year she would pray and ask God for a word to define her upcoming year and then she would be reminded of His goodness and even promise throughout the year. I was (and hopefully still am) hungry for any word that the Lord would share with me and I prayed and sure enough, I got a word and the word throughout that year came to pass. So several years later, this is now one of the nearest and dearest things between the Lord and I and He has overwhelmed me each and every year with His faithfulness not only to speak but to know and to work.

Last year, after what had certainly been the longest and hardest season's of my Christian life, He spoke the word that I was thrilled to hear, RESTORE! Oh the joy that word held and oh the faith that I clung to all of 2012, that it would truly come to pass. The verse He gave me to pair with that glorious word was Joel 2:25 which says, I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten. I remember being so very excited and thinking to myself, "Do you mean EVERYTHING the enemy has eaten? You are going to restore it all in one single year?" I even made a list, our finances, my womb, our joy, our home, every single thing?? I prayed and with wild abandoned faith I just hoped for the best. Well, here we are, 2012 has come to an end and sure enough, His faithfulness has surpassed all I could have ever hoped or imagined. I sit here with my precious new son, in a beautiful house that our growing family now calls home, with a husband who has, by God's great grace, grown a successful business for our family and joy (not perfection) that I was certain a few years ago would have to wait for Heaven. 

So as 2012 comes to a close and 2013 has great promises provided by a faithful Savior, my faith has grown and my excitement will hopefully not be toned down by age. I want to always believe Him for BIG things but none of which this world seeks for joy, things that are eternal and really do deliver.  As I have watched my precious son Cross be disappointed after each unwrapping fiasco during this birthday and Christmas season, I have been so reminded that stuff is never ever enough. That's a hard concept to explain to a 5 year old but sometimes it's a hard concept to believe as a 30 year old. This year the word the Lord has given me is Rest. I have been excited about some of the bigger things I knew He was saying to rest from like any major life changes (to include but not limited to having children, adopting children, traveling to far away lands or moving, ESPECIALLY with one week olds). I received that one with great joy but in the past day or two I have really been researching that word in the Bible and I am beginning to think He means so much more. 

I know He is telling me to literally rest more, to take life slower, to say NO more often and to let all things come to a screeching halt in order that my body and my soul might be renewed. But another concept that unfolded during my research was that of peace. I kept thinking my word search was confused because no mention of the actual word "rest" would be in some of the verses but each time I would find the word "peace". One verse that I found that articulates this perfectly is Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!" I think the Lord wants to teach me how not only rest for a year, but also to begin to learn ultimately how to rest for a lifetime. 

So let's toast to a New Year, a year of rest but also to a year of learning to truly rest. I pray that each of you out there reading prays and asks for a word yourself and that you sit and spend time with Jesus more in 2013 than you have ever done in your entire life. I pray that we do not go throughout this upcoming year tearing open "gifts" that will never bring a second of peace all the while ignoring and misprioritizing what would really bring joy. I pray we are overwhelmed during good times and even during bad at a God who is not misplaced and uninvolved in our day to day lives. I pray that He renews and brings peace and rest for us all to begin mainly by our relationship with Him. 

April-You have got to be kidding me......

If I weren't 100% convinced that time really is flying (despite the fact that I feel like I have been pregnant forever) I just looked back at the date of my last post and it said APRIL! I honestly had no clue but that is neither here nor there in the importance of this post but had to certainly be stated and apologized for all the same. I will also say this, if I weren't randomly up at 3 a.m. this one pregnant night, this update would have never been completed either so it could have potentially been next April if it weren't for a pumpkin patch hamburger which lead to heartburn which is leading to a blog revamp. Who knew the depths of life's timeline?

I AM saying and vowing (with fingers crossed behind my back) that starting officially in 2013 my blog is going to be our family's scrapbook so the posts have potential to become more frequent and have way more pictures but as I am seeing, no need to make any promises that you have no clue whether or not real life will allow you to cash. I used to be very disappointed in these so called failures but I am seeing more and more that I am one person and that this one person better keep first things first or she will wake up one day with a million more regrets that are all ready guaranteed.

Also, I have been thoroughly confused on just how to tell you guys the story of our little SON (aka not the daughter my previous post proclaims) that is growing in this mommy's tummy.  I had my wonderful doctor check and recheck again (he laughed and said, sure thing if it will make you feel better) and sure enough "it" was still there.  You guys that know me well know I like to process publicly and I am not saying that is the wisest thing always and I try desperately to use discression but God has given me a peace to write so here I go. A heart poured out and probably at the avoidance of the vomiting perfect Facebook posts I see daily that I am too immature to smile about and be happy for so let's just shoot for this being my attempt at being real. I will first say that YES I do/did know there was a 50/50 chance.  I do know a few things about reproduction after numerous years at the Pregnancy Center so I  certainly knew there was a possibility it "could" be a boy.  But here is the thing about life in general, sometimes your knowledge is squed by your experience, wants, dreams, and even hurts.  I was shocked because sweet Chapel Elizabeth has been a child in my heart since we found out we were pregnant the very first time, Cross or Chapel was our question, which would it be, and as we all know it was Cross. I also think I am a bit panicked at our call to 4, even though that desire has been in my heart since I was a little girl playing house. All of a sudden practical things like money and age and energy and really crappy mom days have interfered with those dreams. I did have another boy, on "paper" even, Samuel Cord Bullock, life verse 1 Samuel 3:19, but he was going to be adopted and maybe (well definitely)  even as a toddler like Mercy girl had been and all would have been well with my soul, minus those 3 words the doctor stated that day "there it is". Why was I shocked, why was I distressed, how had I "missed" God, what was the core? It was deeper than what I could fathom and after weeks and weeks and even months and months of prayer, God began to reveal the root of my confusion and it was called pain. I had birthed a precious boy in 2007 that daily steals my heart with the stunning good looks of his father but I had also birthed a son in 2008 that too had the stunning good looks of his father but had nearly ripped my heart clear out of my chest never to be replaced again. Grief is an odd thing really, you feel like you are at a great spot and then something else triggers it and then you are reacting in ways that make no sense at all and then you finally realize the connection and your jaw is left dropped on the ultrasound room floor. But our God has been gracious to heal this mama's heart all over again. He has spoken to me and said to me "Kelly, I knew this child before the foundation of the earth. He is meant to be biological, He is meant to be 5 years younger. (And then the most personal and stunning part that had never crossed my mind-)  He is meant to be the 3rd strand of a tightly woven cord of siblings". So there you have it, I was still statistically stunned by my man's production of boys but I knew God was all over it and that was all I needed to know for certain. I can't wait to see if this little guy looks like his mama or if those darn Bullock genes just cannot be trumped and I have zero idea of when or where our sweet Chapel girl is going to come from but I am gonna refuse to bury that dream on the premise of my capabilities as a human and trust that if it is God's will that He will do the miracles it will take to make that not only happen, but to flourish.

So where am I today? 3.5 weeks and counting until my due date. No induction this time if I can possibly avoid it which leads to my (obvious) LEAST favorite thing in life which is surprises. I like a plan so now I am daily planning what would I do if I went into labor right now. That is simply pathetic and I am aware of the disorder yet without the strength to change the disposition. I would say I feel good, great would be an overstatement and horrible an overstatement as well. I am certainly rocking the control loss that 3 brings and just hoping that I haven't forgotten anything major but my standards have lowered about 2000% since Cross came along. Diapers and my milk supply (which is conveniently attached) and a handful of outfits and a car seat are all that are a must.

Minivan Mayhem is in full swing and God's grace in that has not yet ceased to amaze me. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined His hand would have been on something so heavily despite me. I also promised in the last post that I would give the new blog site for that but shockingly I didn't remember so here goes, better late than never. www.minivanmayhem2819.blogspot.com. You will quickly be aware that someone else is in charge of that site because it is cute, up to date, and has glorious tabs which I couldn't make happen even if large sums of money were involved.

Cross is still the best looking kid ever (just kidding but not really). He is tall and looks more and more like a little boy. He looks just like his father and his kiss will absolutely melt my heart until the day I die. He is very excited about baby Cord yet he and Mercy are both convinced Chapel is coming next after my traumatic confusion that I insisted on spreading throughout the family.

Mercy, that mama is gonna be who raises sweet Cord. She cried and protested for days that it was a boy and not a girl but she too is now on cloud nine and certain to mama this poor boy to death. I just hope his wife will love her despite the spoiling that is about to take place. He may never lift a finger until he is 20 if she has anything to do with it and I could not be more thankful for the help I know she is to be. She may be the sole reason we can fathom 4 to be totally honest. She is a beautiful child, inside and out, smart as a whip both street and book and loves to talk and yes most certainly gets a lot of qualities from her mama (the talking not the smarts that is)!

And I'll just refrain from writing about my sweet man because it would all fall under the vomitingly perfect category and that has yet to encourage many but do know that marriage can be amazing if you will just get yourself right out of the way!

I think the best way to word things today is that we are all dreaming again, after a long, hard season, while waiting on a much more glorious Heaven, we are at least able at this very moment to be somewhat excited about what may be in the middle! Thank you guys for reading, our next post will Lord willing be the grand introduction of our biggest surprise in life to date, Mr. Samuel Cord Bullock! I am certain my heart will again never ever be the same!

K

RANDOM pictures......

But hey, they are pictures all the same. I am on a roll, 2 posts in 2 days, and I am certain no one wants any more words until I dish out the cuteness.  I have dreams of blogging groups of pictures that make sense and meet a timeline.  But instead, we will settle for what real life provides and that is the random shots that did actually get taken and uploaded and be thankful.  So here it is, random post bath photos, a monster truck show, some friends that have moved away and left a hole in our hearts and one that came to visit and then Easter!  Love you guys, have a GLORIOUS weekend!

Kelly

I'm Back!!!!!!!!

Hello sweet friends and long lost strangers.  I am currently aware that in a few short weeks my blog will officially be redeemed back to our precious family. The neglect here may never be forgiven by you but I am pretty certain there are about 50 Minivan Mayhem women whose lives have been forever changed and they would promise you my drop off of the face of the blog planet has been worth it.  We have partied like Jesus rock stars this past year but we are all fully aware that an official Minivan Mayhem Blog Spot is a must and thus the Bullock Family is BACK!!!!!!  I can also promise you that details of the new blog address and MM happenings will be to come as well!

So where on earth do you start after a YEAR almost???  To attempt to give you a little life update, I HAVE been updating my facebook because I can do that in a matter of 2 minutes as opposed to an hour’s worth of typing for a blog post. But with that I rarely get to actually read blogs these days or facebook posts for that matter so the social side of me is in vast withdrawls but the enjoying being right with God and my family side of me is at great peace.  I am learning there are seasons for EVERYTHING and this has just not been the season for the world wide web. 

Ok, so our life, as most of you probably know by now we ARE expecting another sweet precious baby.  We will find out in about 6 weeks just who God is knitting in this womb but that baby sums up this entire season of our crazy life, redemption!!!!  If you go back and read blog posts you will see a unanimous theme in our life and that has been some suffering.  Sure in comparison to the thousands I will see in a few short weeks in Ethiopia our suffering has been “mild” but that makes it no less painful.  God has done a mighty work over this past year and the Wilderness is in our rearview and the Promise Land is right up ahead but for the desert, we are still forever grateful.  No matter how “cleaned up” you look on the outside or in the halls of your local church, our gracious Father knows the depths of your heart’s need and despite your pleading or the pleading of your closest and dearest friends, He is still so faithful to do the refining despite us. 

Our Mercy girl is the sweet and precious princess of our lives at this moment.  She is the kindest, most loving child I have ever met in all my days.  She is also the most social or extrovert personality I have met outside of one and let’s just say she get it’s from her mama!  She says all the time, we love everybody and she is so right, she does.  I do always hesitate when people or myself even respond to our current pregnancy as a “gift” for our obedience in adopting Mercy. I know what they and my own heart means by that but let me take this public moment to assure you, MERCY IS THE GIFT!!!  She is the surprise gift you had no earthy idea you wanted or even needed but it was the gift you would forever treasure most.  She will most likely raise this next baby and forever keep my house clean and my meals cooked.  She is a servant of all servants and she would rather be helping me in the kitchen than playing with the fun-est of toys or watching the best that cartoons have to offer. She truly is a daily visual for me and for others of God!

And then our handsome man, no matter what happens in this life, that boy has this mama’s heart.  You hear women say there is just something different about a mom and a son and this I totally understand.  It gives you great amounts of grace for your sweet mother-in-law who thinks her son is perfect because now you actually understand and know that he is, in her eyes at least.  I will also encourage any of you gals out there raising a strong willed child that although I never even had the chance to read the book, the Holy Spirit has been so gracious to show me how to begin to raise that sweet boy in a way that is daily causing him to live up to the Proverbs declaration of children being a blessing from the Lord.  He is turning into the finest young man you have ever seen both inside and out.  I just pray that God will give me a lot of grace when I am one day a mother-in-law and that I will simply refrain from squeezing his little butt cheeks and asking him to “give me those lips”. Hahahahaha I hope you know I will but you get the picture of just how wrapped I am at this very moment.

And then the sweet one inside. I  think it is my Chapel girl, I pray it is! I have this VERY odd and new way of thinking which is we just need a pasty white gal in our lives and then one day a dark handsome young boy is going to hopefully complete our family and then this crew is DONE.  I never dreamed I would feel ready to be “done”.  With my past, saying “no” to more children seemed impossible but unless God vastly changes my heart and I honestly believe He is the one who has brought me here, this mama is done birthing and moving on to raising.  I feel a huge peace that I am only supposed to carry this last one and then God will orchestrate the last child right into our home in His precious timing.  I DO pray Chapel girl has red hair but for one moment in my life, I don’t even mind if she is strong willed or a people pleaser because regardless she is certain to pop out a sinner and I am certain to be called to show her the vast need she has for a Savior and either way my calling is lofty and will require a grace from Jesus like nothing I ever dreamed I would need.

And finally, my VERY good looking man.  Where on earth do I begin with that guy??  He is perfect, more and more and more I agree with his mother.  He is not perfect we all know that but I do know he is perfect for ME!!!!!!! I am learning when he drives me crazy to pray and zip my lip and what do you know, God moves.  And I am also learning that for every one time he drives me crazy that probably represents a hundred moments I have driven him.  He is just gracious enough not to count! I am also beyond proud of a man who lived through a HUGE trail and crisis of faith, yet came out on the other side a humble man of God, still faithfully surrendered to Him regardless if He gives or takes away.  He is also THE BEST real estate agent in town and you sure won’t be able to convince me otherwise.  I have watched him serve sweet military families and first time home buyers.  I have watched him pray and pray and pray over houses to sell and neighbors to get plugged into local churches.  He really does love what his job and he is good at it and he is right where God wants him to be and a price tag will just not stick to that!

So where do we go from here, well today I am going to a coffee shop as my normal Thursday, kids are in preschool, routine.  I am going to prep for my LAST (of this school year at least) Minivan Mayhem session and I am going to hold my tears back the entire time.  This journey and this group of ladies has humbled me like nothing else can.  We will be baptizing a slew of them on May 20^th and you wanna talk about NOT feeling “worthy”. This gal has no idea why or how God has chosen her to get to witness these miracles but He has and I am certainly not going to try to talk Him out of it.  Something weird in my personality likes a good front row seat for a Jesus thing.  I know it is how God designed me (and probably how He designed all of us).  If you have a God story, I wanna see it, hear about it, and even watch it all unfold and that’s what MM provides, hundreds of them and that may just even be in one day.  He is not a religious being to be put on a shelf, He is the almighty King of kings and He is in the miracle working, life changing, world rocking business and I for one love to receive those graces but I love also to watch. 

So on this random Thursday when the long lost blogger emerges from her silence, please know one thing, this entire life, our entire being, is NOTHING without Him!!!!  If He has you smack dab in the middle of some sufferings, just walk through it by His grace because He is SO worth it!  If He is blessing your socks off, ENJOY it because it is all His grace and none of which we deserve and these blessings are only the tiniest taste of what is to come. And then finally, if you don’t know this God, this Friend, this Father, this Savior, make it your weekend’s mission to find Him, to surrender to Him, to accept the lavish love and grace He has for you.  Where on earth would this messed up gal be if it weren’t for Him??  I love you all dearly, I PROMISE tons of pictures to come in the days or maybe weeks ahead to catch you up and I HOPE to at least get to say hello every now and again in the months to come.  This ride is worthy of some documentation because if I had the time or the energy, the web could not hold all the works of the One who has redeemed!!!!

Kelly

Minivan Mayhem has made a cookbook!

Hello Everyone! We are beyond thrilled to announce our very first domestic attempt as Minivan Mayhemers. Our crew has a lot of children as you could imagine, which leads to a hefty childcare bill each and every week so a fundraiser was a must. We wanted one that would be a blessing in the Mayhem not just a random attempt to raise some cash. SO, with that, I present to you "Meals in the Mayhem" a mostly healthy cookbook for meals in the midst of the Mayhem. Most of us have a great assortment of Paula Dean's and Cream of Anything Soup recipes so we wanted to give you a tool to help your family stay healthy and fit for a life time of following Jesus. Please purchase one or ten today and pass this link along to all your (facebook) friends and family and let's make certain we are set for our budget and share some clean eats all at the same time. Thank you so much for your support!!!!!

Kelly

Minivan Mayhem Myth #2

"Single Girl Mayhem"

My name is Jen. I am 24 years old and I drive a Ford Focus...no minivan...no car seats...no kids.

When I first heard about Minivan Mayhem, I thought it sounded like such a great group that I grabbed a stack of flyers and started handing them out to all of the moms I knew. When one of the leaders of the group asked me if I was going to join, I asked, "Am I allowed to?"

It turns out that acceptance into the Minivan Mayhem group doesn't require having kids or even a minivan. All it requires is a hunger to know more about God. As a recent Christian, I had so many questions about God, the Bible, and how to live life as a Christian. I knew reading and knowing God's word was important, but every time I opened my Bible, I felt so confused. Minivan Mayhem has changed my anxiety about the Bible into excitement. I can't wait to study this book for the rest of my life!

What is Minivan Mayhem? It is a place where I can ask any question and get answers from people who care about my spiritual walk and care about me. It is a place where I have friends and mentors whom I know I will spend time with outside of our weekly meet up. It is truly a place where the unity and love that Christ calls us to have for one another can be seen and felt.

So don't get hung up on the minivan part! Focus on the the mayhem...for that is something I am certain we all have in our lives, for which Jesus is the only cure.

Minivan Mayhem Myth Busted...............

Myth #1 "You have to be a biblical scolar in order to do Minivan Mayhem."


As I walked through the doors at Bethel Community Church in September, I was a nervous wreck! I was embarrassed and ashamed of what I didn’t know. I was scared that I was going to be judged about my past and lack of relationship with God. I have two beautiful boys and thought I was a pretty great mom, but I wanted to be the best mom I could be and Jesus was the one area I couldn’t give my children the answers. As I walked through those scary doors (as I thought) it wasn’t so scary after all. The church was filled with all sorts of women from beginners (just like ME) to very knowledgeable women who have followed Jesus from the time they were children. As we meet with our small groups each week, we not only discuss the Bible and what we have learned, we have also become friends. I LOVE my small group women. Each one of us has walked a different path that led us to Minivan Mayhem, but we all have a similar goal, to learn more about Jesus and discipleship. My small group not only meets on Tuesdays, but we have also met for coffee, lunch and to exercise. In just a few short months I have made 6 great new friends and I thank Jesus for them.

If you are a beginner, like me, we would love for you to take this journey with us. If you have something inside of you, telling you to sign up, that my friend is Jesus. He is speaking to you. 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

More Mayhem a Coming.....

Hey friends, it is your long lost blog author who is still snowed under with the Mayhem of the Minivans leaving little time to get on and chat. My biggest fear has been that my fam would be neglected as I am off discipling women. The good news is my blog and not my family has been neglected which as much as I miss you guys I am pretty sure this is what is best. I wanted to let everyone know that registration for the spring semester will be opening on the blog from December 1st-January 6th so please keep us in your prayers and if you are a local gal please pray and see if this is something for you for this upcoming spring. More details to come I assure, along with some awesome testimonies from some current Mayhemers. God is rocking our worlds each and every week and I am beyond humbled and honored to be a part of such an amazing group of crazy Jesus followers that are bound and determined to go into all the nations and make disciples. For any of you that miss the old style Kelly Blogs I PROMISE to blog again with lots and lots and lots of pics of our sweet babies. This is just a season where I am having to prep intensely each and every week and this season soon too will pass. I love you all and I thank you for any prayers and love that you offer!

K

I'm BACK!!!!!!!

Hello dear friends (a/k/a the 5 readers I have left after my blog sabbatical). I will say I have good excuse as Minivan Mayhem was more of a task to tackle that I ever expected but let me say too the fruit is worth every ounce of gardening that took place. These ladies are rocking and rolling for Jesus and it is contagious to witness. They are soaking up the Word, pouring out in community and building each other up in ways I never dreamed. It has hit me lately that every ounce of spiritual growth I have ever had has been from the Word and the encouragement of other believers. It is not complicated to grow spiritually, it is just work. It is work to make it each week, work to be open and not give a hoot what anyone thinks of you once you are. It is work to get your kids, house, and life organized yet all the while keeping Christ as number one. It is work to say no to things and to rework your schedule, it is work to feel sick and tired yet reach out and serve. BUT OH HOW IT IS WORTH IT!!!!!

On another note, I thought I would share with you guys some very deep and theological thoughts from our new family of four since I have been gone for so long, just to make sure we are digging into the intense depths of life. So here we go........

GIRLS "NEED" a LOT of Shoes....For the love of Jesus, boys need church shoes and tennis shoes (who cares what color they are). Girls need shoes, tights, bows and white underwear just in case you can see through. It has been a bit exhausting dressing a girl, but somehow I am managing.

I have had NO problems feeling attached to my adopted daughter. I know many people want to ask that question but don't know how so I just wanted to go ahead and throw that out there just in case. I can give you many examples but here is a recent one just to show you a visual. We were at the park and I was talking to someone and had one eye on my kiddos. I noticed this little boy really bullying Mercy. I withheld the first time and let her "hold her own" but the next time he put both hands on my daughter's arms she started crying........well you know how that goes. You walk over telling yourself not to do all the things you are visualizing (like ripping the 5 year old's arms right off at his shoulders). I was very polite and gave him the look like "you touch my daughter one more time and I'll take you down little kid" and said "honey let's play nicely with each other, come here Mercy girl, Mommy will handle it". I thought to myself that day, you may have been hurt numerous times in that orphanage and it went unnoticed but now you have a MOMMY and I will take down anyone that even thinks about hurting you dear one. It felt SO good to rescue her and it made me think about how our Sovereign Father feels the exact same way about us.

Next in our deep theological discussion is cute things we are saying these days. Cross says "he ate it all" like when he is all done with his stickers. I told him today, "honey we say we used them all" but I kind of like it when they mess words up. He is turning 4 in a few short months and that is certainly a reality check that they DO grow up and that it IS sad. Onto Mercy girl, she L O V E S her preschool and her teachers. They (the teachers) have been in trouble for spoiling her rotten but who on earth could blame them. She says super cute things too like "Thomack the train" and "Mercy's birfday is all over". She is ALL caught up with her English and now knows 99 percent of her letters and their sounds. She is reaping the benefits of having an older brother.

Well, that about sums up our study for today. I promise to write more later but for now I am afraid if I don't hit "publish post" soon it may take another 4 months to write again. God has been and is being very good to the Bullock family. It is all grace, we don't deserve even the smallest of gifts. I pray that we never ever fix our eyes upon this earth, that somehow we always have our eyes on Heaven!

Because of Him,
K

A Quick Chat........

Hey gang, just a quick update and YES Minivan Mayhem really is starting THIS Tuesday so I will happily take about one million six hundred and thirty one thousand prayers! One foot in front of the other is where I am today and that is probably best. It will all be Jesus, no doubt about that. Also, my sweet Daddy had a pretty major surgery on Friday and his wife (my step-mother) is having some serious health issues as well so please keep them in your prayers. And then finally, MY MAN, oh good golly, there is no prouder wife on the face of this planet today than this gal. I am beside myself with his focus and bravery to go into all the nations and make disciples. If you would like to follow his journey you can do so at http://ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com/. One of the team members will be blogging the entire trip so you can literally tag along. I honestly have about a hundred or so blogs rolling around in my head since Minivan Mayhem registration has taken over for such a long time but I have a few things on my plate that are demanding some attention this week so until I can have a writing party we will all watch closely to see some "ordinary" heroes hard at work. I feel a bit like I have NO IDEA what all Jesus is up to in the Bullock household but I'll tell ya this, it is MUCH more exciting than the life I beg to have! Have a glorious week friends!!!!!!!

K

Minivan Mayhem....

****Registration has closed for Minivan Mayhem****

Bullock Family UPdate......

Hey guys, we are certainly trying to leave MM at the top of the list for the next few weeks but I just had to get on and say hello. I am doing one of those posts where I have about 1,000 things I should be doing but I am overwhelmed so I shut down. When that happens I like to do something like blogging which can be tied in a nice publish post bow and all is well with the world for a bit. I feel caught up in at least one portion of life. I know this is an illusion but let's just enjoy it for now.

So, what are we up to these day and I promise pictures too because I read a blog the other day about a certain twin birthday party and there were NO pictures and I was so sad and thought I would try not to repeat such a sin. So here goes.....

J, good looking as ever and just about to hit the road to Ethiopia to serve a slew of people which in turn makes him just about the sexiest man on earth and I get to be married to the man. THAT is grace my friends. You will not waste one single prayer on this trip as we (I am trying to be his side kick on the planning of things) have literally what feels like a jillion things to do between now and then. God has graced the trip already so I have no reason on earth not to trust Him. It is just difficult to plan for a third world country where they will see more needs than they can ever remotely meet. Type A doesn't work well there either and we happen to be a family of them so just pray for us to "let go and let God". I always thought that was a bit of a dorky saying but it seems to fit here perfectly.

Ok, K (me), God currently has me out on a limb holding on for dear life and I am just praying (and begging) that He will come through and save my rear. I like to have my to-do list all nicely marked off at least once a month and until this ET trip is over and MM is up and running, that is not humanly possible. I have more to do and no hopes on earth of ever getting it all done unless God comes through and does an amazing miracle. I will say this, I am bound and determined not to keep any of this from me raising my sweet babies so that is one priority I have actually kept. We are hitting the road this week, just the three of us, to do one last summer hoo-rah before it comes to an end and I may have to say "no" to a lot of things but it ain't gonna be them! I mess up every single day in the littles but one of my greatest prayers is to not miss the bigs. I wanna date my man and love on these babies and spend time not just serving but loving my Jesus and the rest will all fall into place.

Now on to Cross, could the boy be any more handsome....I think not. We shaved his head again a few nights ago and he is now an 8 year old and more than I can bare. He needs about 8 hours of physical activity a day and I need about 1 so prayers there will be taken as well. We had an awesome time at the beach and I saw just how much he thrives when he can get ALL of that boy energy out. I will include those pics as well. He and M are both absolute fishes and had the best time ever.

And last but not least, Mercy girl. There are honestly no words and I could get choked up just trying to type. We are starting her immunizations this week and she got a perfect report from the doctor. She is an angel. She did amazing on vacation. Never really phased her that we were off-site and off schedule for an entire week and she thought the sand and the ocean were both amazing. I will take this moment to brag just a bit. She had never even seen a swimming pool 4 months ago and on vacation she swam 1/2 the length of the pool, under water, all by herself, no floaties. I was in shock and just about the proudest mama in the whole wide world. She is really a princess in every sort of way. She turned 3 this month so certainly pics and the girl opened presents for an hour and then looked for more. Americanized for certain.

So that in a nut (literally) shell is the Bullock Family. It will probably be after this crazy month comes and goes before I will get to say hi again but in the mean time please update your blogs (hint hint) and add pics (more hints) and pray for us and share Minivan Mayhem with all the local ladies that you know and keep in mind that you are the greatest friends a gal could have. We are BLESSED beyond measure!

K

Happy 3rd Birthday Mercy Girl....

Hello Blog Friends, I just had to get on and add one more post as I know time will get away and this could very easily never happen. However, I think it simply must happen and it must happen on this blog because most of you have paved the way in prayer and support for this sweet girl to come to our home and I want to use this post as another THANK YOU! Thank you for every prayer and every dollar. I am still amazed at God's grace.

Last night as we sat and ate dinner I became so emotional watching Mercy eat. That is a BIG deal for a starving child, food. When I first spent time with Mercy in a guest house in Ethiopia as I visited for court, she looked and acted like an orphan. She would "beg" for food with her eyes. She would eat and eat and eat anything I put in front of her. She would awake every morning and look into my eyes as if today I might say no to food. It crushed my heart then and it crushes it now even as I type. But not last night, last night my girl chattered and ate and said it was good and smiled and laughed and talked and said "fork and spoon and plate and eggs and bread and chocolate and potatoes". She drank from her sippy like she owned this house and she then politely said "all done mommy" with a good heaping of potatoes still on her plate. Oh how my heart danced. In just 4 short months of being home my baby girl is NOT an orphan any more. She is a child of God (she was then but now I think she is starting to know it). She is a Bullock girl, she is a princess in all ways and in all forms. She is our pride and joy, she is finally free.

So in 48 short hours, Mercy girl will get the day of all days, her very first ever birthday. Her birth mother did not know her actual birth day. She didn't keep track because in those dark conditions there would have been nothing to celebrate with, but what her mother did know was her approximate age, 2.5 (at the time of our meeting). So it was with great honor and joy that we got to chose her birthday and in keeping with her age it fell perfectly (as God Himself could only allow). Her Birthday is the exact day I first laid eyes upon my child. So we plan to spoil her rotten, we plan to have cupcakes numerous times throughout the day and we plan to throw her a party and let her open 101 presents and I am certain that her eyes will forever tell it all.

So Happy Birthday Mercy Girl, one year later and my my have things changed. Your Mommy and Daddy love you more than life itself and your precious brother will never remember life without his forever side kick. We love you and we are honored you are ours!!!!!!!!!

I just had to throw in a few more pics, this is Mercy and Mommy on a date Friday night. She sure does look like a princess if I do say so myself!

A Quick Hello

Hello Dear Friends,

I wanted to say a quick hello because sometime, hopefully sooner than later, Minivan Mayhem will take over the Bullock Family Blog for a bit and I won't be able to say hey as sign ups will certainly be underway. I wouldn't turn down a single prayer for this venture as I had completely forgotten what a start up takes out of you. I think God had me forget so that I wouldn't run for dear life. I am also getting ready for a much needed vacation get-a-way and I am planning to UNPLUG from everything else but my family. I want them all to myself, not sharing them nor them having to share me and I wanna laugh and play and read and pray and think and NOT DO LAUNDRY! hahhaha

The Bullocks haven't been "busy" in several years as life has been so much at what seemed like a stand still. Now I feel like I would pay a small fortune for a stand still and I am praying this vacation will be a taste. On top of MM launching in August my good looking man is taking a team of 10 back to Ethiopia so that is no small task on our plate as well. I am not going with them due to two small fries that need their mama right now, but I am helping with some admin stuff so I still feel like I am a part. I will certainly be a jealous mess when they board that plane without me. How true that it gets in your blood, I miss the smell (even when it is bad) and I miss the people more than I can explain. I am so proud of my man and the other members of the team who are obeying Jesus and going into the Nations with the love of Christ. Please pray that his entire journey is anointed and that God will go before them 100% of the way.

I've had cute blog posts in mind with adorable pictures all grouped in themes but the realities of this thing called life will be a random smorgasbord of snapshots but none without proof of God's great grace on this family. We are blessed beyond measure, our cup is running over, and we are amazed at how much greater God's plan is than our own. Today as we ran around getting ready for church I laughed and thought to myself as J said "skip the ironing", my my have things changed. When I had Cross I wanted to dress him up and color coordinate our family. He quickly ruined that by spitting up on everything. Today I am always tempted to do the same, but someone may pitch a fit right in the middle of the road or hurl a sippy through a crowd and I am constantly reminded no one likes those families anyways.

Our family may not be a lot of things but we are hopefully always going to be real. We are real sinners who were in great need of a Savior and we have two babies who are also real sinners greatly in need of a Savior. Hopefully our walk with Him will always be my greatest plea and hopefully I'll skip the matching, outrageously priced wardrobe, along the way. Those things are fine as long as they don't compete with our focus for the hurting, the hungry and the ones in need, the ones 1/2 way across the earth and the ones right here in our back doors. May we always serve the King that so graciously saved our tails!

K

Our baby girl dancing the night away at a wedding...

This double stroller is our new bff...

Mercy girl's first 4th of July...

BLAST Ball...

It's almost here.......

Good Morning Blog World,

I write to you this early Tuesday morning accompanied by my sweet dog who may just have a complete and utter nervous breakdown before these summer storms are over. I am getting picky these days and being up in the middle of the night, often, WITH A DOG, is not my cup of tea, a newborn maybe, a newly adopted toddler maybe, but a dog, not so much. I have medicine to give her but often times I don't know the storm is coming and by the time the medicine takes affect (or is it effect) the storm has come and gone and we are all WIDE AWAKE to prove it.

There is a life lesson tied in there for certain but this is certainly not why I was getting on to write; I was writing to chat about the blog's fancy overnight makeover. I, by no means, can take a lick of credit. Almost 100% of the time if I have something going on in the design world that is the least bit impressive it is because God has graced me with amazingly talented friends and nothing could be truer in this situation.

We are gearing up for the launch of Minivan Mayhem and certainly had to bring the blog along for the ride. I am dying to give you guys 101 details, but until everything gets ironed out I want to leave you with a video that ever so perfectly depicts exactly what we desire to do with this crazy discipleship group for women that is starting this fall called Minivan Mayhem. Just watch the video and envision the very girly version but overall what we desire to be. Basically, if you want to know Jesus more, and you live anywhere near Clarksville, TN, this may just be a group for you. I am one big combination of honored, excited, and scared half to death, so if you are a reader and you are far from here and unable to participate I would just about go as far as to beg for some prayers in the months to come. But if you are a local and thinking this may sound like something you are interested in know that we will have sign ups and more details ready to rock and roll in just a few weeks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtzxnY9Yob0&feature=related

Well, now that everyone is nice and CALM I guess I sould try to crawl back in bed and catch a few more hours of sleep before my very own personal minivan mayhem begins again. I love you guys and thank you beyond words for reading the writings of this poor, saved by the blood of Jesus, kind of gal!

Because of Him,
K

I had it in my head...............

Good Morning Blog World! I have had a little thought swirling around in this mommy brain for a week or so now and that usually means I need to make time and get on and share. I personally love a revelation from the Lord, even sometimes when it is convicting, because it still helps all of this crazy life seem to make a bit more sense and to me that is never a loss. I was also remined a few days ago from the various texts I got throughout the day from a dear friend just how UP and down life can be and how much we need all the revelation we can possibly get.

Ok, so on to the topic at hand, a week or so ago I had the glorious privilege of taking a road trip to the big city of Louisville, KY with some dear friends. I got to have one of my most favorite treats on earth and that is road-trip girl-talk. To me there is really nothing better (well I do enjoy road trip hubby talk as well). You have hours and hours to hear every one's entire life story. If you don't have kids with you it is like a 3 hour uninterrupted phone conversation and any mom out there (or pour soul trying to chat on the phone with a mom) knows that NEVER happens. You can tell the whole story, details and all, not just the shortened version. You can focus because there is nothing else pulling at your attention, other than an occasional GPS mishap that is. To me it really is the best.

One of the sweet girls on our journey was telling a story of how she had experienced something so many of us know full well, life, our idea of what it would be verses the sometimes sobering reality of what it in fact really is. Along the way she coined a term that I just cannot get out of my thoughts. She said, "I had it in my head...". Nothing deep to the average Joe, but to me that day God made that the most profound phrase ever. It was like God had shined a spotlight, used a heavenly highlighter, and said to me "this is your problem with a lot of things in life Kelly, you had it in your head".

I don't know about you guys but I am problem solving junky. I am really NOT the gal to come to just to vent, I wanna HELP. I wanna solve your problem, find a solution, fix it quickly and move on with life. I usually run as if every trail in life is one good solution away from disappearing. I have a doctor or a book for just about anything and my (not so) glorious advise on life very often carries over into my relationship with the Lord. I GET IT IN MY HEAD all the time what He should do, how He should fix it, how He could make everything all better. And with this very annoying tendancy I am frequently let down because God didn't react how I thought He should, He didn't perform how I thought would be best, He didn't do the miracle I had it in my head that He should do.

So as I sat down to type this a.m. the Lord instantly gave me a verse and so I had to also share with you because SURELY I am not the only one out there with this need to fix everything ailment. It's one we hear all the time, one we see written on wall hangings and such, one we probably know by heart but God is showing me not by head. Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING (whatever you had in your head) and in all your ways acknowledge Him (the maker of the Heavens and the earth) and HE will make your path straight. (Emphasis mine, hahhaha)

I felt like God was saying to me, every time you have something in my head, even when you think you prayed and I led you that way, when things don't work out like that in your reality, lean not. Lean not on your own understanding, remember I am BIG, my ways are not your ways. I do have a plan, a solution, and quiet honestly it is much better than yours, thank you very much. Just TRUST IN ME!

So with that said this average everyday a.m., what do you have in your head? What do you have in your head to the point that you would be darn right annoyed with God if He didn't cause it to be in your reality? I usually keep a pocket of several but I would love nothing more this morning than to just lay them ALL down. I would love it if I could get to the point that I didn't demand God to perform how I had in mind, over the big as well as the little. When someone gets a cold and my day doesn't go as planned or when 4 years of my life seem to be an insane roller coaster I never ever saw coming, may I lean not and trust in. He is BIG, we are little, He is really smart and all knowing, we only pretend to be, He HAS OUR BEST INTEREST AT HEART, we have our selfish interest in mind. I would love to look back in 5 years and have actually been more trusting in Him and less trusting in me. I would love to not always need to know why or have a great solution ready to share. I would love to watch HIM work out the details and see the glorious benefits of staying out of the way. How about you guys? Pray for me and I'll pray for you!

K

Minivan Mayhem...A Discipleship Group for Women

HELLO Blog World along with something I don't say very often around here, Good Afternoon! I am usually always a morning gal, but today as I write from a cozy spot preparing to work on something God is nudging me towards I somehow just cannot begin before saying hello to you. I have not thought once about when I would share with you guys this calling God has placed on my heart, maybe I thought whenever the heck I got time enough to sit down and chat!?!? Honestly, for so long it has felt so very far off that there was no need to mention, but now as I type it is truly sinking in that it is THREE short months away and kind of really TWO but we won't dwell too much on that fact or I will have to exit the blog and get to work.

So...in a nut shell, God has been showing me a very specific calling He has for me as well as a place where the body of Christ just really struggles and that area is in discipleship. We "love" on people, we "mentor" people, but do we really ever intentionally disciple them??? I have never been intentionally on the receiving or the giving end of that and as I sat and thought I honestly did not know very many people who had. So through that realization came something I believe God has called me to start in the Fall of 2011 and that is "Minivan Mayhem, A Discipleship Group for Women".

In M&M we are going to learn how to intentionally disciple women and be intentionally discipled all at the same time and in the mean time attempt to "teach the older and the younger women" as Paul charges in the 2nd chapter of Titus AND THEN somewhere along the way I am praying we will laugh our heads off, build life long relationships, and for Pete's sake do real life together with a few women instead of just saying hello on Facebook Chat-guilty-. People are messy and so we avoid them, the Bible is complex so we avoid it, but Christ esteems them both very highly and so I think it is time we all start digging in and I include myself first and foremost in that challenge.

So here I am, tucked away for a 24 hour work day for Minivan Mayhem. My own personal mayhem makes it a bit difficult to hone in and focus so this fine (kid free) space is doing wonders to put everything at ease. Please pray for me that God would speak to me this weekend and direct this path. It is all His, all at His feet, He will receive all the honor and glory because Lord knows if the thing gets pulled off it will certainly all be Him and nothing of me. I want to be His tool. I want women to be victorious, to know the Word, to know how the heck to make a grocery list and most of all to know the intensely intimate relationship of their Savior. He is everything and we are sitting in a community while drawing closed our garage doors, and all the while we are right beside hundreds of thousands of hurting women, needy women, and women who are dying to do this thing called life with victory but don't have a clue where to begin.

I have so been (and am really) one of these women, in the area of parenting especially. Many of us grew up in the anit-home economics era and I most days haven't the foggiest of even where to begin with two toddlers. I had big plans in banking you know, but God had others and it will take some "older women" even if just by a year or two to show me the ropes. We are going to dive into the Word and figure out how the heck to avoid a poppy diaper disaster all sometimes in the same day.

So with that, there will certainly be more to come, opportunities to sign up, the ol' who-what-when-where-why and how are in the works. I've certainly gotta get to work just in case someone actually decides to show up! I know I am in a constant state on this blog begging for prayer and sadly I am not going to stop now. Pray I don't get even my pinkie toe in the way of this thing. Pray if it is not Jesus that it flops flat in front of my face. Pray that if it is Him that it will be a great ministry to our wonderful city of Clarksville. Pray it will reach military wives as well as the good ol boys of Clarksville's significant others (that's where I would be I guess so not at all knockin) and everyone else in between. WE ALL NEED JESUS, either way! I love you guys and so long, there are details to be done!

Because of Him,
Kelly Bullock