kony 2012?

Alright, here it is. My two cents. I cannot keep it to myself anymore.

Many of you may have recently heard about Invisible Children and all of their efforts to try to stop a war criminal, Joseph Kony.  If you haven't heard of them before this week, surely you do now.  With a new documentary (watch it here) going viral (as of right now, over 68 million views on Youtube and 16 million on Vimeo) and everyone blowing up their FB newsfeed and Twitter (#kony2012, #wewillnotstop) it seems like it is everywhere.

Basically IC wants to put a stop to the horrific war crimes that Kony is facilitating. He & his army kidnap children, force the girls to be sex slaves & the boys to be soldiers and ultimately- killers. There are awful things that Kony & the Lords Resistance Army have done in Uganda and other regions in Africa, enough to make him #1 on the list of most wanted war criminals.  IC wants to make his name known so that America (and other countries) will help put a stop to it.

Such a wonderful movement to be a part of, right?  Well, no surprise here, not everyone thought so.  Articles against them started popping up everywhere (you can read a couple here and here), calling them out on their finances, exact details that were left out in the 29 minute film, amongst other things.  IC responds to each of those issues here.

Here's the thing. Yes, knowing where your money will go if you donate is important.  Yes, knowing how you standing up against Kony can make a difference is important.  And yes, knowing the details of the LRA and what they are doing is very important. I actually endorse people doing research and finding truth out for themselves.  BUT, what does it hurt those who don't agree with the movement if thousands of teens & young adults choose to be a part of it.  Is calling them stupid or slackers really necessary?

I've noticed that "young people" these days can be labeled lazy, unmotivated, and greedy.  Here is an organization who is taking those "lazy kids" and getting them excited about something & wanting to help bring change.  They are learning about global issues & political stand points that they may not have ever made an effort to be educated about otherwise.  I say, good for them! Find something that sparks a fire in your heart and do something outside of yourself to bring change to our world! When the nay sayers put their heads on their pillows at night, does it really matter if people all over the world are joining IC's efforts to bring an end to Kony? No. So I say to all of them- stop being negative and use your voice to bring a positive change to the world.  Does it have to be supporting Kony2012? Of course not.  But we are all destined to make a difference in this world, and we can bring change.

Am I going to "cover the night" with IC and plaster Kony2012 propaganda all over my social media sites?  Probably not. Am I against it? Absolutely not.  Do I support what they do?  110% yes!  I just do not feel led in that way.  My heart is pulled towards children in America, the ones who are abused & neglected, who do not have a mother or father to love them.  I want to see child abuse confronted and the cycle broken.  That's what my heart beats for.  And I am doing what I can now to stop that.  Part of it is being a part of an organization that offers summer camps to abused children. They receive a week of love and hope, and when shown those things they have a greater chance of breaking the abusive cycle in their own lives. Do we accept donations for this too?  You bet!  Every cause requires funds to pull it off.  We are all the body of Christ and He calls us to different areas for a reason.

What it boils down to is that there is evil in the world, and we can help stop it.  Whether it's a child getting beaten by their parent next door to where you live or a child being forced to be a killer in a country across the globe, there are issues that need to be tackled.  We should find what our hearts beat for and then DO something.

So I ask you, when all is said and done... what does your heart beat for and what are you doing to bring change??

what you said?

My boys are constantly cracking me up! If you are my FB friend you know I am always posting updates of the conversations my kids have. We had 3 funny ones today. I just need to remember them all. I keep saying I'm going to write a book :)

Me: Nolan, I'm going to take a quick shower. What do you do if someone knocks on the door?

Nolan: Open it.

Me: No! You never ever open the door without mommy or daddy. If someone knocks on the door you come tell me.

Nolan: Ok

Me: What do you do if Pax starts crying while I'm in the shower?

Nolan: Open it.

Me: Sean, what was your favorite part of the day at school today?

Sean: Finishing my name paper.

Me: What was your least favorite part of school today?

Sean: Ummm... I don't have one!

Me: Nolan, what was your favorite part of today?

Nolan: Going to Knotts Berry Farm.

Me: Oh. What was your least favorite part of the day?

Nolan: The big storm with the monster in the sky.

(we surely haven't been to Knotts since December and the sun was shining all day).

Nolan: Momma, why you said we have to take a nap?

Sean: (after a big sigh) Because that's what mommies say.

Don't steal my joy!

When Pax was born, almost 4 months ago, it was such an amazingly easy transition.  He was a great baby, slept all night from the beginning, and nursed like a champ. It was like Pax was always here & we always have had 3 kids, because it was so natural.  I was in this euphoric state of floating on cloud 9.  God's blessings were so apparent to me in my precious little family, and I was just plain joyful.

That lasted for a couple months.  Then things started going downhill fast.  Could be part of the reason why I haven't been able to keep up with my blog ;)  You know that phrase "when it rains it pours"?  Well, it's been a hurricane in the Stephens house for the last several months.  It has seemed like one thing after another after another.  Dathan got injured at work and was off work for 6 weeks.  Workman's Comp didn't decide to pay him until the end of those 6 weeks.  Pax got a cold and was only able to sleep in the swing. Which is downstairs. So I slept on the couch for weeks.  Our car broke down.  Like died. Bit the dust. Not sure if we can get it working again.  And to make matters worse, we are still paying on it.  Yep, have about 2 years left on our loan.  When Dathan was finally able to go back to work, he worked for a week and then they didn't have any work for him for a couple weeks.  Then Nolan got sick.  Of course the one week Dathan did have work and wasn't here to help me.  Then Christmas came, then I got sick. So Dathan missed another week of work to take care of me.  I was sick from Dec. 26 until last weekend.  I'm still not 100%.  In being sick I missed out on a lot of things: New Years, several parties, seeing every college student who was home for Christmas, Girl's Night Out, play dates, etc.  And had to stop nursing.  I feel as if I basically missed out on almost a month of my life.  And through all of this we have had ants in our house.  This constant battle that we are not winning, even though we've tried practically everything to get rid of them & have had the place sprayed... 3 times.  On about day 10 of being sick I had a mental breakdown. Lost it. Sobbing uncontrollably.  Everything came out, all my frustrations with money issues and health issues and issues I wasn't even aware that I had ;)  I. Was. So. Mad.

I was mad at God because I felt like He wasn't answering our prayers.  I was mad at satan because he was being a jerk to me and our family.  I was mad at myself for not getting better.  I was just mad. 

And then I got over it. What else do you do? I don't want to stay in a place of anger & sadness, what good does that do?  I cried. I poured my heart out to God.  And then with His help, I made a choice: 

I will NOT let the enemy steal my joy.

It's a choice.  It really is.  We can choose to focus on our pain & struggles.  It's so easy to do that!  But when that is where our focus is, that is where our heart is.  And when that is where our heart is, that is where bitterness & anger creep in.  But when we look to God & all that He has done in our lives, then that is where our focus goes... and so our heart does too.  Sure, many people may have less struggles than we do right now.  But many people may also have more.  And honestly, we all are dealing with something. Some people you can tell they are going through stuff and some you can't.  I think part of it is because of where they choose to put their focus.

When I chose to see the blessings, I was overwhelmed.  There were more than I thought.  Really all I have to do is look at my precious family and I can see where God is at work. 

"But You, O Lord, are a shield around me; You are my glory, the One who holds my head high." (Ps 3:3)

This is a verse I clung to during my frustrations.  Such encouraging truth is in this!  God is my shield!  I may not see it, but He is protecting me.  He's my glory, & He holds my head high.  I don't have to hang my head in shame or sadness or anger.  I also don't have to use MY strength to hold my head up.  God's here to do that for me.

In knowing that I am shielded & my head is being held high, how can I not find joy?  Who couldn't use more joy in their lives?  And besides....

"...the joy of the Lord is my strength." (Neh. 8:10)

"And these things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." (John 15:11)

So today, I choose joy.  And tomorrow I will do the same.  Will you?

October catch up #1

I know most of you don't care, but I'm wanting to do these catch up blogs for my own memory.  My blog is like my life scrapbook, so even though this was 3 months ago I want to remember!  So please bear with me as I try to juggle playing catch up AND keeping up with life now. Ha!

One of the Monday's in October Sean had no school (I think it was Columbus day?).  My mom has Monday's off (and my dad is retired) so we all ventured to a local "pumpkin patch" to spend some time together.  This is a cute little place, it's just not a real pumpkin patch.  It's an empty lot across the street from Costco that they throw some pumpkins & haybales in, with inflatables, a couple rides, & a petting zoo.  The boys really enjoyed themselves.  It was HOT this day.

 

Nolan climbed this ladder like a boss.  And I love both boy's faces while going down the slide.

 

 Sean was not wanting to go on any rides. He would have gone on the inflatables all day.  But they did ride these bathtubs. Ha! 

 

And Nolan wanted to ride the swings. So cute! (See the main road behind him and Costco across the street? LOL)

 

 Petting zoo time with Memaw!

 

 Getting some pics with my sweet boys.  Pax was like 2 weeks here.

 

 My parents had just gotten new iPhones and my brother snapped this hilarious picture of them trying to figure out their phones to take a picture of me & the boys.

 

Stay tuned for more updates from October, November, December, and of course recent ones! Ha! You'll have to forgive me ;)

project.365.12.11

Well, in being super sick I totally forgot to post my project 365 pictures from December.  In fact, it's a miracle I finished the project because every picture after Christmas day was taken while I was sick, and some of the days it took everything in me to just take the picture.  So here they are!  I'm super proud of myself for finishing, but you knew that already ;)

10 on Tuesday!

1.) I have been sick.  Like, really sick.  My doctor almost put me in the hospital sick.  It has not been fun.  Christmas day was awesome, and then the next day came and I felt like poo... and each day I started feeling worse.  I usually can shake off sickness in a couple days, so when day #4 came and I was still sick I finally went to the doctor.  They did a strep test which came back positive and I also had pink eye.  I was given medicine that was ok to take while nursing and sent home.  I took the medicine for about 5 days, and was getting worse. I could barely keep my eye open, I was miserable, kept getting a fever, and had scabs that appeared on my face.  So I went back to the doctor last Tuesday (a week ago) and found out that I also had shingles & a staph infection.  Fun.  I had to immediately stop nursing Pax because of the medicine they had to give me.  I was heartbroken.  But I was told I could "pump & dump" to try to keep my milk supply in until I'm done with the medicine.  The new medicine is working great, I feel a million times better and am finally not contagious.  This is not exactly the way I imagined us bringing in 2012.  I literally have not left the house since Christmas day except to go to the doctor's and go to my parents.  We have been so blessed by my parents who have helped SO much with the boys, other friends who have watched the boys so I can rest, and amazing & thoughtful friends who have been bringing us meals for over a week now.  We are so incredibly blessed.

2.) Because I am SO behind on blogging, today's pictures are from... well... um... October.  And a couple from November.  Sorry! Ha!  Remember how I've said before that Nolan was our little artist?  This is how I found him one day when he was supposedly "napping." Sneaky little guy.  That's Sharpie.  On the closet door & his arm.  You have to make sure to check out his arm.  It was hysterical, but I couldn't laugh because I had to discipline him.  The joys of being a parent, right?

 

3.) Once upon a time my parents, younger brother, & I took the boys to a local "pumpkin patch" (an empty lot in the middle of town that they threw pumpkins in with some inflatables and rides. ha!).  The boys rode this ride that looked like they were inside bathtubs.  As you can see by their faces, they were thrilled ;)

 

4.) Pulse (the youth ministry at our church) has it's birthday party the first Sunday in October every year.  Last October they turned 4.  Every year the party is a theme and this year was someone famous.  If you can't tell, Dathan was Ace Ventura.  He was hilarious!  I was me, because it was enough work to get a 10 day old baby out to youth ;)  The boys wanted to wear costumes too so Nolan wore his pizza costume from Halloween 2010, and Sean was a Jedi in Star Wars pj pants.  So cute!

 

5.) Once upon a time we also took the boys to a real pumpkin patch.  And we rode the train.  It was a lot of fun!  My mom and younger brother came with us too!

 

6.) The boys are eating peanut butter and crushed up pretzels in a bowl with a spoon. Weird, weird children. Please excuse the mess :)

 

7.) Sean's first school picture.  We bought a couple for nostalgic reasons.  He looks so grown up and is so handsome here!!

 

8.) End of soccer season! Sean loved it.  He was funny to watch play- he is a perfectionist and would get so frustrated if the other team scored.  His little friend Beka played in the same league as him so they got their trophies the same day.  It was the most unorganized, ridiculous ceremony but hey, that's what we do for our kids, right? They were sooooo patient waiting for their trophies.

 

9.) We went over to my parents house and had a pizza & game night with my younger brother Timmy and his adorable, sweet girlfriend Courtney.  We all made our own personal pizzas and then we played dominoes.

 

10.) Speaking of games, have you ever heard of Scribblish? It is one of the most hysterical games I've ever played. It's kind of like Pictionary except you pass your sheet around.  Basically you draw a saying and have to write the caption then draw the picture to go with the saying.  Then you cover up the caption so you can only see the picture and mix the pages around. Then you look at the picture of the one you got & have to make up a caption to go with the picture. Then you cover up the picture so you only see the caption and pass it around again. I hope that makes sense.  You do it until there are 4 pictures. Then at the end you only see the last picture and you have to guess which one was the one that you started with.  You also can vote for the funniest.  It is SO funny to see the transformation!!  Here is one of the funniest ones we've seen.  If you can't read the handwriting the captions go like this:

- I invented a time machine!

- Singing to the music as I hold my bird upside down

- My whistling killed a bird

- Why use a gun when I can sing em out of the sky?

hahahaha.... maybe it's funnier when you're the one playing? :)

family pictures!

I feel as if because I am a photographer I cannot ever get my family pictures to turn out the way I want them to.  I get a vision in my head of what I want and then entrust someone else to help me pull that off, and it doesn't usually work.  Probably also has to do with the part of me that's a control freak.  But that's another story ;) 

Well this year my friend Elaine, who is also a photographer, made a trade.  My family pics for her family pics.  And I was SO grateful to get to do this.  Elaine absolutely helped us pull off what I was dreaming for our first official family pictures as a family of five.

So we drove about 20 minutes out of town and trekked into an open field right before sunset. 

We did a little loving on our Pax (and a lot of wiping up spit up! The joys of a baby, right?)

Then, to get everyone in good moods, we did a LOT of tickling...

And also some cuddling...

And we were finally ready to get some shots (Nolan is just too much in both of these pictures)

I even got a couple sweet pictures of me with my THREE boys!

And here they are- the winners!  I'm so thankful to not have just one, but several good options for our family picture to put on our Christmas card & enlarge to frame in the house!

And even a great shot of Dathan & I! Ahh! It's been several years since we got a good picture of the two of us!

We had Sean sit in the grass and hold Pax VERY carefully while we took the pictures of just Dathan and I.  When we finished we looked and it was just the sweetest thing to see.  My 3 boys sitting so calmly together!

We, of course, had to bribe the big boys to cooperate during our session (hey- I am not above bribing my children in a situation like this!).  Of course they picked McDonald's Happy Meals as their bribe. Yaaaaay (please hear my sarcasm there LOL). 


Dathan and I snapped this photo of us in front of McDonald's when we got there.  I have to give credit to two very talented friends of mine.  Breanne is the one who cuts my hair, and last time he cut it she curled it for me.  Well, everyone FREAKED out and loved the way it looked (including myself).  So, she was kind enough to curl my hair for me on our picture day, because I knew I could never get it to look like the way she did it ;)  THEN my friend Cheryl is a makeup artist and offered to do my makeup for me.  I was thinking some blemish hiding and eye makeup doing but no- she busted out the big guns... literally!  She airbrushed my face and even put fake lashes on (maybe I shouldn't be saying this so you all think I look this good all the time? haha!).  It was fun to be super girly for a day :)

I'm so excited to hang these prints up on our collage wall! Now I just have to finish painting the frames....