Why East Lake?

When I tell people we are moving, the first question is where to? and the second is the title of this post (which usually includes a snarl look on their face). Ben posted some East Lake information on his website that I thought was very informative and wanted to post some of it here as well.

So why would anyone want to move to East Lake?
To be part of the community revitalization? To get a good deal on a historic home? To rebel against middle class social structures and stereotypes? Maybe those are reasons for some, but for me and my family, and many others with which we are united in Christ, we are moving to East Lake because we are followers of Christ that have been led by God to do so! We want to be obedient to our Lord and engage people with the gospel in one of the poorest areas of our city.

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Colossians 1:19-20

God is reconciling, that is restoring and making good that which is evil, ALL THINGS to Himself through Christ! That includes individuals, but it also includes worldly systems and cultures. Poverty is about broken relationships between God and people, people and people, and people and world systems. That means the solutions to poverty is found only in the power of Christ's death and resurrection to restore those relationships.

That is why we desire to move into an area where poverty is experienced on every level. We will be bearers of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for His glory through the redemption and reconciliation of people to God and then for the restoration of the community.

Another main question I receive is about the crime in the area. East Lake, especially the Gate City area, is known for drug trafficking and prostitution. In the last few years, however, the city has worked hard to clean the Gate City area up and crime is down dramatically. In the South East Lake area (the area we are moving into) violent crime is almost a non-issue. Several community residents have expressed that petty theft and the occasional break-in are the biggest crime issues in the area. Most of the drug trade is behind closed doors and doesn’t come into the public arena often.

Something important to note about crime in the area is that what happens on one street or block does not typically impact what happens on another. Crime is higher in areas where there are a lot of rental properties, but such crime almost always only affects that street or block. The next street over might consist of mostly home owners who seek to live well and protect their property.

Ben is currently working with the Birmingham Police East Precinct in securing very specific statistical data about crime in the area. He is also working with the Jefferson County SWAT Team to get information about crime and safety…we're not going into this move blindly like some seem to think.

It's my party, I can whine if I want to

Isabel's 3rd Birthday

Theme: Everything PINK

Invites: Blank note cards from Target



That also served as Thank you notes. Score!



Food: Pink cupcakes complete with Pink sprinkles, Pink M&M's, Pink Marshmallows, Pink (ok red) Strawberries, Pink Lemonade



In the past I have seemed to sleep deprive myself b/c I stayed up till the wee hours in the a.m. making some elaborate cake the night before the party. I'm still the night owl, but find myself needing more sleep the older I get. So this year I decided to go with something a little simpler and less time consuming. I found this site awhile back called Bakerella, I had to try the cake pops and this party was the perfect time. We (my sister & I) went with the classic cupcake ones. They served as the centerpiece



and on a tray...yummmy both ways!



Let me explain the reason for the title of this post or maybe a picture will suffice?



She wasn't thrilled with all the attention at all. Which didn't lead to "I can cry if I want to", but whining....she is a master.

She did perk up after she started the gift process. Imagine that, a kid who likes to get stuff!



I thought about having the Aerosmith song PINK play in the background during the party, but thought that might not be appropriate for a 3rd birthday party ;)

Happy Birthday Izzy!

Happy 3rd Birthday to my sweet Izzy!

Surprise....it's a girl!!
April 20, 2007



1st Birthday 2008



2nd Birthday 2009



3rd Birthday 2010



How they change so quickly....

New Toy

For Easter the kids got Nerf guns from Ben's mom. I have to admit I haven't had this much fun playing with the kids toys in a long time!



It was mom's idea to shoot the front door...



Guess who's idea it was to lay on the floor & try to hit the fan?



They got pretty good at it, so the next step was to hit the fan while it was on! The fun part....getting them down.

Now that we have had numerous Nerf gun fights between all 5 of us around the house as well as shooting anything the darts will stick to - I am finding darts everywhere.



In the chairs



Isabel's sock basket (which up until this post, I never found it strange that I keep her socks in a basket & not her drawer....until now....wonder why I did that???)



My closet floor



between my mattress & foot board.

So if you think your up for it, the DeLoach's would love to challenge you in Nerf dart tag!

Doggy Love

I absolutely love dogs. We'll, maybe I should say I used to. When Ben and I were dating he bought me a Boxer for Valentine's. 12 years ago! Wow how time flies. Our 10 year anniversary is this year!
Ok, back to dogs...I had always wanted an English Bulldog, but at the time a Boxer was what he could find & afford. I loved that dog! He was my baby. I think he honestly annoyed the poo out of everyone else in my family, but he was still my baby. He was 85 pounds before we knew it and he thought he was only 10 lbs. As he loved to sit in my lap :)



Meet Riley Jo Boxer DeLoach - his official registered name



Riley was there for most of Ben & I's milestones together. Our engagement, wedding, move to KY, birth of both our sons, & move back to Bama. I could write so much about this dog, but I will refrain. When I was preg. with our third child, I decided it was too much. I just couldn't handle three kids, a husband (smiles), and a dog. I was also working at the time. So we found a good home for Riley and parted ways. This was 2007.

Summer of '09 Ben called me up and said he had a once in a lifetime offer. Ok, I braced myself for it....he had an offer for a FREE English Bulldog! How could we pass this up?! The kids were older now, the backyard was fenced, how could I say no?
So I introduce to you Boss. He was already about 4 months old and his name had been given.





My thought that having a dog again would be ok was wrong! He was already potty trained, but the slobber, drool, digging in the dirt & then tracking it inside....nope momma wasn't ready for a dog again. Fortunately we have a good friend up the street who had jokingly mentioned when we received Boss that if we ever wanted to give him away he would be willing to give him a good home. Around Christmas we gave our friend a call :) Boss was now a Christmas morning gift to two young children who still love him dearly!
Boss did accomplish one great thing at the DeLoach household, Isabel is no longer afraid of dogs. Something we didn't realize before we got Boss, but something she overcame before he left.

All three kids were very upset that mom & dad had given Boss away, but don't worry. I told them they could have another pet. Just one that mom picked out!

I would like you to meet Gracie.



Can you find her?



Let me help.



I absolutely love this turtle! She sits on our kitchen counter by the sink. Which I tend to stand by often either cooking or doing dishes. So Gracie & I have become good friends. Turtles have much more personality than I ever could imagine. She moves her head up and down like she really understands what I'm saying. The only requirement she has is that her home be cleaned every few days & that she is feed daily. Mom can handle that!
Oh, how do we know it's a girl turtle you ask? I asked the kids that same question....the house has a pink top, so it has to be a girl!

I still like dogs, just not living in my house. Maybe when the kids are older....maybe!

Devotion

The mornings seem to always be rushed no matter how early I get up and the traffic on 280 getting me to work doesn't help. By the time I've dropped off one to Kindergarten & get the other two and myself to work/school, some days I'm done before I walk in the door! It's been a blessing to know that once I get in the door, all the teachers kids go to a room to play (supervised of course) and the teachers gather together for devotion. I'm able to relax, gather my thoughts, & have prayer time with my co-workers before we begin our day. We take turns sharing each day and one of my favorite places (besides the Bible) to acquire some of my devotions is from Proverbs31.org

This is one I shared recently that really was encouraging to me.

Backwards Bumper Stickers
Karen Ehman

"But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.'" I Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

Yesterday, when I was finished running—okay, so it was more of a slow trot—anyway, as I was leaving the gym where I work out, I ran into an old friend. She is a woman who attended the church where my husband was on staff twenty years ago when we were first married. She was raising her kids when he was the youth pastor and she saw us begin our family with the birth of our daughter Mackenzie, who is soon to turn 19.

Naturally, the conversation turned to where her children are now—marriage, kids, careers, location, etc. She asked what the future held for our three kids. Where would they go to college? What career path would they choose? She has offspring who all ended up in high-paying, prestigious careers, including one who is a prominent surgeon.

That afternoon encounter made me think about what we say 'success' is, especially when it comes to our sons and daughters. Is it having kids who grow up to do a job that society deems important? How do we measure success in our kids when they are still young and in our homes? Is it by having ones who are outwardly obedient, saying 'yes ma'am' and 'no sir' and 'pleased to meet you' on cue?

The more seasoned I become as a mom, the more I find this to be true: obedience, while it manifests itself in outward actions, begins in the heart. While I want to teach my kids to behave—sometimes not an easy lesson to instill—more importantly, I want to teach them to have their hearts right with God.

I used to want kids who did no wrong. Now, I have a different goal. When they do do wrong—as all kids and adults sometimes do—I want them to correct it rather than hide it. To be sensitive to the times they hurt someone's feelings or disobey God and His wishes. Then to listen to the Spirit's prompting, admit their fault, and right the wrong. I want the very same thing for myself.
As today's verse asserts, so often we humans look at what we can see on the outside—beauty, talents, smarts and such. God sees straight to the heart—motives, intent and character. His measuring stick is far more accurate and important than ours. So many spend countless hours and dollars perfecting the former while completely ignoring the latter. God's Word to us is clear. Who we are inside is really who we are.

One year, our daughter proudly brought home a bumper sticker we could display on our aging mini-van. Having completed seven years of scripture memory at our church's children's program, her sticker read, "My child earned a Timothy Award in AWANA." She had worked diligently and were we ever proud of her!

However, her younger siblings did not have the same knack for memorization nor the academic leanings she had. They too plugged away at their verses and assignments in the same program but just couldn't quite finish all the requirements for earning that high award and its accompanying bumper sticker.

It made me think, should we only be proud of outward skills and academic outcomes? Perhaps we should be just as pleased with character qualities and whole-hearted attempts that, on the outside, seem to fall short. Maybe we should be just as thrilled to display the following bumper sticker prominently on our family vehicle:

"Proud parent of a kid who nearly flunked math, but whose heart is tender toward the Lord."

Dear Lord, help me strive to please You most with my inward self—my motives, intent and character— and to model for those in my life the importance of doing just that. I want who I am at the core to accurately reflect who You are to the world. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Our move to EL is not a "step up" or "a more successful move" from where we are now in the eyes of the world. But I strive to not live for the world and I don't want my kids to either.....

Wrestlemania

We returned home from Florence around 7 p.m. on Saturday night before Easter. The kids had slept the whole way, which was great for the ride back home. After dinner the kids were wild! Running around the house like crazed animals. We gave warm baths, brushed teeth, got pj's on, but still all three needed to get some energy out. Bedtime was going to be a battle I could just feel it.
If you ask any three of the kids what one of their favorite things to do is, you would receive the answer....wrestle with dad. It's not something Ben does daily with the kids, but I would say weekly. Our bed is where the wrestling matches are held. Ben takes on both boys while Izzy waits patiently in the chair. Then it's her turn. Izzy isn't going to let her brothers do anything that she doesn't get to do. Since the boys are much bigger than she is, she gets to take daddy on by herself.
With weekly wrestling matches going on in the DeLoach house I guess it was bound to happen....yep, you guessed it....a trip to the Emergency Room! Thing is, while Ben and I were waiting in the waiting room at the ER we could both believe we were there, but not with the child we thought.



Isabel's new braclet



Home from Childrens Hospital ER. Midnight. Now that we're feeling better she needed a midnight snack of some goldfish. ER doctor said fractured elbow and sent us home with a splint and orders to call the orthopedic doctor on Monday morning.



Saw Dr. Davis at 119 Health & Wellness Monday @ 1:40. After very painful x-rays they confirmed a broken elbow and decided it needed to be in a full blown cast. Of course what is the only thing that would make that ok? A pink cast of course!



This is part of Isabel's new wardrobe for three weeks. We will then go back and see Dr. Davis who will again do some (I'm sure yet again painful) x-rays and then recast. So we're looking at about 6 wks recovery time.

All wrestling matches are postponed until further notice....

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday didn't really go as planned, but then again it's a rare occasion when something goes as planned in our house. Brook Hills planned four services for Easter. 8, 9:30, 11, & 6. Ben had to attend all four. My plan was to get up early and attend the 8 a.m. which Ben would be able to attend with us. That however did not happen and I'll explain why in another post.

How the day did play out....



Easter Baskets around 7:45 a.m.



Making of Resurrection Rolls around 9 a.m.



I got this idea from a friend and the kids loved it.
Before we started making the rolls, we read the Resurrection story from the Jesus Storybook Bible.

I boiled eggs to dye around 10 a.m.
Started preparing the Easter dinner (lunch) around 11 p.m.
Ben's mom & stepdad came for lunch around 1 p.m.



Egg Hunt followed.



Ben's mom had prepared prize eggs!



Movie on the couch around 4 p.m. Only some stayed awake to finish the movie ;)

I had hoped for a cute picture of the kids all in their new Easter outfits, but since we ended up not even leaving the house the putting on of the "dressy" outfits was not a battle I intended to fight. So this year this is the picture we have to remember Easter 2010.

Celebrations

This past weekend we went to my parents in Florence, AL. We celebrated my dad's 61st birthday (March 31st), Isabel's 3rd birthday (April 20th), and Easter all in two days.