BTI Babysitting, Days Eight & Nine: Monday & Tuesday

But first, I have to mention the Sunday night service. The Lord blessed wonderfully through the worship and through Sister Connie Wilson's message. I'm so thankful for how God worked in hearts through all of it. That night I was feeling heavily burdened over some things and just so needed to get to the altar. I can't describe what God did for me there and how He helped me! I have been praying about some things for some time now, knowing that we really, really needed God to intervene in some situations. I know that God always hears us, but that night I felt like I was able to get my prayers all the way through. I felt like all of the things I've been praying these past several weeks just sort of piled up together and like I was able to reach heaven with them. It felt like God RECEIVED my prayers and gave such a sweet and solid confirmation that He has HEARD them and will ANSWER. I feel peace and rest in my soul, and renewed CONFIDENCE that we WILL find God's grace and help in the situations we're facing. And I feel Him already at work. I can't thank Him enough!!!

Monday morning started off with a bang when Sam discovered a big, dead snapping turtle on the far side of the pond. The kids were all sooooo excited. It had a hole through it's shell, so it's no doubt the one my Dad shot a few days ago. I can't remember if I mentioned it here or not. Joe was fishing one morning when Dad was leaving for BTI. He said Dad stopped the car, rolled his window down, and out came his pearl handled Colt. I love it. :-) Anyway, the kids thought finding the turtle was the coolest thing ever. The turtle is on the ground between Lillie and Sam.

The rest of the day consisted of laundry and house cleaning. After lunch Katie went down for a MUCH NEEDED nap since she'd failed to get one the day before. That girl just cannot handle lack of sleep. Her eyes had big dark circles under them and little red specks, too, and she was just super edgy and way, way, way too emotional. (Can't imagine where she gets that from... jerk. Ha!) The other girls got in the hot tub, then the boys.

There had been some question as to what to do with the turtle, but in the end it was decided to throw it into the pond. When the Hays got home that night Brother Dustin hurled it out there for us.

We hadn't given it any real thought ahead of time but, of course, the turtle floated.

So it seemed right to grab the bb gun and have some fun.


It was Aleah’s birthday that day so when her folks got home the fun began. She opened her gifts, then we all went to the garage to watch all of the kids club the pinata. I took several video clips but none of them turned out very good. Unfortunately the few pictures I took weren't any good either, but here are a couple. Here's Sara taking her turn.



And the kids gathering up their booty.



Then it was time to sing and have cupcakes. Those wonderful, fantabulous cupcakes that only Sam's Club can make. :-) Look at that smile...



The weather was super nice that night, so we enjoyed the great outdoors for a while. Some of the guys raced scooters up and down the hill but none of them took an impressive spill like Matt Barnes did last year so it hardly seemed worth posting any pictures or videos of it. ;-) I'm not sure what these fellas are looking at, but I do recall a few of us watching and laughing heartily at a video clip that night of one of the most memorable BTI moments ever. It was GREAT. And not at all what we expected. :-)



Dad was studying the turtle still afloat in the pond and got to wondering if perhaps a few extra holes in it would help it sink. :-) Several of us took a shot, but only two people actually hit the thing. I can't remember which two though! Anyway, here are a few shots... literally. :-)

Brother Clarkson...

Jamey had to be talked into it, but finally gave it a go.
And here are "The Brothers Baldwin," as I hear they were introduced the other day. Ha! This is Zack...

And Micah.

Later on that night we ended up in the den having another great and memorable night, mostly due to Brother Clarkson. :-) The following was soooooo funny in person. Apparently Chris Thompson has this particular song on his cell phone and uses it for his wake-up call each morning. Chris Clarkson therefore wakes up to it, too, each and every morning since the two of them are sharing a room here. Brother Chris played it on his phone for everybody else to hear and Brother Clarkson couldn't help himself--had to find a hat and guitar and enact it for us. :-)



There is a "Part Two" (that was at least as good as Part One), but unfortunately I didn't get it on my camera. If I can secure a copy of it I'll be sure to post it. :-)

Tuesday morning we woke up to rain. Lots and lots of rain. The girls had discovered the little play “kitchen,” and drug it downstairs. They've been having a blast with it ever since. After a few minutes I went looking for the boys and found Sam & Isaac digging a mudhole out in the rain. They were doing it "for Granddad," insisting that they were creating a drainage ditch for all the rainwater.

I spent about an hour that morning cleaning out and sorting the game cabinet. It was a WRECK and things like that drive me CRAZY!!! It felt good to get it nice and neat and clean with everything in its proper place again. I threatened the children severely about even opening the cabinet door without asking. Ha!

Kate took the girls and made homemade Snickerdoodles with them while boys played Davey Crockett in the hot tub. The boys were out and dressed in time for "The Bad-Doers Gang" to show up to swipe hot cookies from the cookie sheet, causing Katie no little frustration. (She really needs to be sanctified!) Then the boys went to ride scooters while girls hot tubbed it. The girls had their own make-believe game going on in the hot tub today -- and they weren't playing Davey Crockett and the Indians. :-) Katie was the mom (naturally) Lillie was her fifteen year old daughter, Sara was eleven, and Aleah was four year old Patty. It cracks me up how girls and boys just so naturally—without anybody teaching or telling them—play soooooo differently! Boys are built to conquer in one way or another. They have some battle to win, some bad guy to defeat, or some obstacle to overcome. Girls are built to nurture. They care for, tend to, and instruct. Even as little kids they just naturally do those things.

Since we had done the hot tub thing in the morning the afternoon was all clear. It was the perfect opportunity to declare it CLEAN UP THE HOUSE DAY! :-) Things get pretty nasty with this many people (and so many little people) living in one house. Joe cleaned up the bedroom, I helped Sam & Isaac gather and clean up the trash in the garage, then sweep the floor out there. Katie and Aleah did the dishes and worked on the kitchen floor while Sarah and Lillie worked on getting the den all cleaned. The Isaac vacuumed upstairs while Sam & Joe vacuumed downstairs. It felt sooooo much better to get all of that stuff done!

I had started some more laundry that morning, but when I went to rotate the loads I discovered several small brown slimy masses, as well as brown, gooey smudges on lots of the cloths. I finally discovered what it was. One of the kids had a pocket full of Tootsie Rolls that made it past inspection and made it into the washing machine. ~sigh~ Let’s wash them yet again, shall we? It was Sam, by the way. I could tell by the guilty look when I asked... and the corner of his lip twitching when I showed him the slimy little tootsie remnants in my hand. Creep-o.

Because of our afternoon cleaning spree we had a very, very late quiet time, but it was glorious nonetheless. I had already been seeing pictures and little blips throughout the day and couldn't wait for the crowd to get home and tell me about the glorious day they had at BTI. Apparently the 2nd Term class started out the day in prayer and the Lord started moving mightily in there. It lasted all through the morning and lunch break with folks from other classes joining them and getting involved as the day went on. In the end, the prayer meeting lasted for over 7 hours and affected the whole school. Three people received the Holy Ghost. They let out just in time to go to the afternoon prayer session. :-) I LOVE BTI. I was sooooo blessed just seeing the pictures and hearing all of the excitement and gratefulness for what God had done there. There is just nothing in this entire world that can compare to BTI. God sooooooooo abundantly pours out His blessings on those who make the sacrifices to get here. Things take place at BTI that will last a lifetime. It changes hearts and lives. Praise the Lord!!!

That night was the Tennessee, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas, East Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana banquet at Golden Corral. I'm not from any of those places, but there is NO WAY I was going to stay home alone while everybody else was there together! So I loaded up the kids and crashed their banquet. :-)

When we got home that night I spent quiet a while looking through old photo albums, discovering some neat old pictures. We found one particular picture that everybody was appalled at, but got some good laughs out of. Brother Dustin whipped his camera out and took a picture of it so he can take it home and ask my brother about it. Wish I could be there for that one. :-)

That night everybody else went to bed and Jamey and I ended up staying up (too) late talking. I needed it! God has blessed me with wonderful friends. I'm so blessed to hear that other people and other moms actually face the same things I do! Ha! God loves us and He helps us. I was blessed and encouraged after talking with Jamey. I love that girl. :-)