That boy has a future!

Here's Ryan trying out for America's Next Top Jedi! Or perhaps The Highlander - Next Generation..You tell me.




I guess I have to classify this as one of those things that makes you go "Hmmmmm" And please ignore the mess in the background. We had just come back from vacation, Chris was at home by himself for 4 days...And you should see what was behind the camera. Or maybe not..

Some recent pictures from the Spring

Summer is just around the corner.. here's some of the latest from this Spring..

A view of discipleship

So, it's been a while since I added anything here. I'm pretty sure no one even checks it, so it's just me. Lately, I've been having some thoughts about church and Christian growth... Here's the latest...



How do you build a disciple? Legos.. that's it, just a lot of legos.... sounds simplistic, right?

When people play legos, they spend time together, they solve problems together, they share together, they talk, more knowledgeable people help less knowledable people about the role of certain pieces, those with creativity and vision give those without something to aspire to, those with encouraging personalities help people not get bored.

And when you get tired and put out and frustrated and try to leave, you always step on that pointy little piece and fall on your butt and don't get anywhere. Good lego friends will check out your foot to make sure that there's no blood and call Mom when there is.

And of course there's always that little instruction manual that comes with most Lego sets. It's a little vague in parts, but really does tell you how to assemble that thing on the box. You just have to look at it really close.

You don't know who'll join you. Might be the nerdy kid with no social skills. Or the shy kid who barely talks to anyone. It could the the super cool dude who just likes legos and needs a place to assemble them. You don't get to choose who and you don't know when Mom will call them home. But you invite them to come and hope that they stay a while.

That's how I see disciple building. But that's just me.

Back from the Dead

Wow! Nothing feels better than being well after being sick for so long. I think today is the start of week 3 of the junk that put me on the couch for 11 days. I'm still on meds, but actually feel like a human again. I have energy to teach and do a little housework. I even smelled some food today for the first time in ages. Whew! I thought this would never end.

So, let's see what's changed?? Nothing really. I got to see my good friend Michelle for the first time in 6 years. What a blessing to spend a couple hours catching up on life and closing down Starbucks! It's a shame Oklahoma is so far away.

Chris is doing well in his classes this semester, making good contacts and learning a lot.

That's about it. Gotta go teach kids.

Happy New Year!!

So, I have proof that the Willingham's have friends.. We had our improptu New Year's thing and it was a blast! What would life be without friends??
Here's Chris, Eddie, and Ashley Riggins.
Eddie, Chris, Ashley, and Scott. Tara and Scott, Thanks for trekking up to the woods on New Years Eve. It meant a lot to us!

I've been considering a job change, and was trying out queen of my own country or resident angel. I think I'll keep looking!
And on Jan 1, Josh got a toy to the eye while playing outside. The cut was about 2 mm from his eye. Talk about a scare!

We hope 2008 will be filled with a lot more good news than 2007. Or will it be the year of near misses?? A year of God's protection? A year of taking hits and surviving? Whatever happens, it's in God's hands. No way to predict what tomorrow will bring. Whatever it is, I'll keep you posted in Willingham's World! Happy New Year!

Where has the time gone???

Wow! It was a wonderful holiday season. Jesus was celebrated, kids had fun, and family was together. Can you ask for more??? I just can't believe how fast the time went... Let's see what we did....
Ok, I'll pause for one picture...
Toys
Where is it?
Chaos!

Yep, it was an orgy of toys and food and family. My only regret was that we didn't make it out to see my parents. That's just how some years go.

Here are some more great pics... Do I have handsome boys or do I have handsome boys???




Blazer got a little pooped after the fun was done.. I can relate to this feeling.
Josh made cookies for Santa and was so proud!

Looking forward to a great 2008!

Crazy Weeks

Life has hit the fast lane again... We are wrapping up school for the holidays, so the kids are nutty. My fellow teachers are all in turmoil. One is out because her mother is dying of Alzheimer's. She's been hanging on with no water or food for 5 days. Another teacher is dealing with extreme back pain from ruptured vertabra that didn't respond as expected to some epidural cortizone stuff. Two others have some seriously disturbed kids in their room who aren't responding well to simple directions. And I'm team leader.

Needless to say, I'm a tired team leader from putting out fires of problems, juggling administrative duties, keeping morale up, and trying to teach my darlings something. Yes, I'm whining, but where else can you whine, if not your blog?? Right??

Home is good. The boys are SO into Christmas this year. We are working on the concept of "it's not about the stuff you see on TV, but what do you want Santa to bring you? No, he's not bringing SpongeBob Operation because I told him not to. How about some Transformers??"

I know, I know, mixed messages stink. Our family has chosen to share the story of Santa with our kids. They believe he is real. We don't discourage the idea. They'll catch on soon enough. Most likely because Mommy will spill the beans by accident. When I'm tired, I'm not too sneaky. I'm sure they'll be scarred for life. At least we can differentiate for them. Jesus loves you always, good or bad, you are loved. Santa likes you always, unless you are bad. Then you don't get toys. Just lumps of coal. But not really. Have you ever known anyone that Santa didn't come for just because they were bad?? I guess that goes into my book titled Lies We Tell Our Children. It'll come right after the chapeter called "Your Permanent School Record."

But the point I'm making is... Santa is a chance to teach the concept of consequences versus love. My kids don't get stuff because I love them. Stuff is not love. I'm so glad that neither of them has the "gifts" love language. They get stuff because we are rich in so many ways. My love and their stuff don't really go together. Getting stuff can be the consequence of doing good in school, behaving in the right place, having a special something to celebrate. But it's not love.

Love is unconditional on how they act, what they do, or where they go. God loves us even if we are poor, choosing a wrong life path, or not getting the "blessings" we want. His choice to bless or not has nothing to do with his love for us. He loves us either way.

How depressing to think that God doesn't love me because I don't have what I want. But do we know people who think that way? Maybe I have too. Yep, pretty sure I've thought that. "If God really loved me, He'd ________." You fill it in for you. I've already been there and done that. He loves me regardless of my circumstance. He loves us no matter what is going on. We have consequences for our actions. There are Proverbs about good things coming to hard workers. There are gifts given in love. But, it's merely an expression.

I hope I can teach my boys that real love isn't like Santa. He's not giving gifts because he loves us. He's just doing a job. But God, he loves us, naughty or nice. And instead of coal when we were naughty, we got Jesus.... hmmm... now that's love. Not a gift, but a person.. God himself in human form..

Forgot the Turkey Day pictures

Oops, I forgot to post the cool pictures of the holiday at my parent's house.


Josh and Selah with Patrick, the Irish Wolfhound. Getting two 3 year olds to sit still long enough to snap a photo that looked good is hard!

That's Mom and me in the kitchen where we spent most of the holiday. I love cooking with my mom. I forgot how fun it was.



Josh finally fell asleep in Chris's arms. Poor kid was SO tired.

That's Katie and Mom, the two most elusive picture subjects in the family. I think I just got lucky this time.