My Sister, My Best Friend

This blog wouldn't be complete unless I posted about one of the best gifts God has given me-my sister, Karen. And just so you know right off the bat, she is my older sister. Seven years older, to be exact. Growing up, since there was quite a gap in age between us, we didn't always have much in common. She found pleasure is torturing me by locking me in the closet (although the door wasn't really locked, so she says), deceiving me into thinking those yucky Halloween candies were good, and generally just doing what older sisters do best. When she was a teenager, I'm sure I was just a bother (I was only 8 or so), so she would just keep me out of her room altogether. It wasn't until after I got married, that the gap began to close. I was, afterall, beginning to experience the same things as her, and there seemed to be more in common. When I became a Christian in 1996, we then had much more in common than simply being earthly sisters. We became sisters in Christ, with a common faith, hope, and trust in a gracious and merciful God. What joy to know that once death separates us in this world, that we will have the immense joy and privilege to be reunited in Heaven!

Over the years, she has become my best friend, someone who understands me, someone whom I can trust, open up to and be honest, and someone with whom I can share life's joys and trials. She has never failed to be a help and support to me in every instance of my life. She continues to be the best example to me of a Godly wife and mother. She has faithfully prayed for me, lead me, and encouraged me in my relationship with the Lord. I have learned so much from her over the years about everything from practical living (cooking, cleaning, organization, etc.), to how to love and honor my husband, and how to sacrificially love my children. I can't imagine where I would be without her faithful and loving example.

Some things that I admire about Karen is that she in an amazing cook, gardener, candle maker, and homemaker in general. She pretty much does everything she tries with excellence, to the glory of God, and for the benefit of her family. She is selfless, patient, and kind with everyone she meets. If she sees a need, she will meet it, and even goes above and beyond just meeting a need. Most of all, she loves the Lord her God with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength. This shows in how she loves and cares for others.

Some of the things we enjoy doing together as sisters are cooking and baking, which includes sharing and trying new recipes and ingredients. We are forever E-mailing each other recipes we have tried or think each other should try! I guess we are the "E-sisters" as Rich would say. We also love trying new restaurants and eating together. We both love all kinds of food, and it shows (on our hips!!!) We also donate blood together at the City of Hope regularly. We usually make a day out of it by going out for a meal and stopping to shop a bit! Shopping, hanging out together at her pool, and going on camping trips together with our families are other things we enjoy together. We are also involved in ministry together at our church, serving in the Juniors Ministry (4th-6th graders).

Words cannot describe what a tremendous blessing she is to me on this earth. We have gone through so much together. I know that whatever trials God allows in our lives, He has blessed us with the ability to experience these things together, and not alone. He is so faithful! I know the relationship we share is very unique and uncommon. You don't see it much in this world. We get along so well, generally hardly ever argue about anything (which is strange because we are both such pop-offs!), and just really enjoy spending life together. We can always be found together, in most cases. It is our dream to even be neighbors someday, like Lucy and Ethel, having our morning coffee together (another thing we both enjoy). We are such very different people, yet like-minded in so many ways. Sometimes I think about what I would ever do if I lost my sister. It would be like losing my right hand. Like I said in the beginning, she is one of God's richest blessings to me on this earth. I am so thankful to have her as a sister. A better sister and friend nobody can find. I love her with all of my heart.

Proverbs 17:17
"A friend loves at all times"

A trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific-An amazing reminder...

Genesis 1:20-21

Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens."
God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

This past Monday, our homeschool group took a trip to the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. What an amazing place! Now, I can't figure out for the life of me how, after visiting a place such as this, that anyone cannot believe in a Creator. Now, after seeing a bazillion (that's my word for a number unimaginable!) different varieties of sea life- different sizes, shapes, colors, and functions, I find the thought of them all coming from a

single cell unfathomable. It just doesn't make any sense to not believe that this world and everything in it comes from Intelligent Design or something much smarter and more powerful than us.

This reminds me of how I came to faith in the Creator of the World. I knew that if I believed there was a God who created the Universe (which I think I believed from the beginning), then I knew that I must believe everything about Him, which is contained in the only book that reveals who He is, the Bible. Herein lies every truth about this amazing Creator. And not only is He a creator, He is a redeemer of fallen man. At this point, I knew I had to believe the entire Bible, and not just parts of it. This is where my faith began, and God is continuing to perfect that faith each day.

So back to the Aquarium...the boys could have spent an entire day just dipping their sleeves in the "wet petting zoo" as I call it! The large pools were filled with sting rays (stingers removed, thankfully), baby sharks, and tropical fish. The boys could pet them as they swam by. They also immensely enjoyed the Lorikeet Habitat. For $2, you can buy a little cup of nectar. The birds, which resemble small parrots, will literally land on your arms and shoulders, and drink out of your cup. I tell you what, that was $4 well spent. What an amazing experience! The boys loved it. Austin and Vance had wet sleeves from the pools they had been reaching in, and the birds were content to just hang out on their arms and suck on the wet sleeves! What fun! We then perused several galleries, which featured jellies, sharks, anemones, sea horses, crabs, otters, sea lions, and a bazillion (there's that word again) varities of freshwater and tropical fish. Stripes, flourescent, fat, skinny, spiny, soft, & plantlike describe the amazing diversity in which God made them. You know, God could have just made them all gray and ugly (which some are), but He showed His amazing power and love towards us that He would make them beautiful and interesting for us to enjoy (and eat, I might add-YUM!) All in all it was a wonderful day. I sign off with this...

Psalm 24:1-2

"The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains,

The world, and those who dwell in it.

For He has founded it upon the seas

And established it upon the rivers."

Vance Stephen AKA "Stevie Cinco"

Vance Stephen is our third son! When we found out we were having a third son, my first thought was "Of course! And, how fun!!!" Vance was born on April 6th, 2001. He was named after my Dad, who, at the time of his birth, was going through chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer in his foot.

Vance is now almost 6 years old (I can't believe my "baby" is that old already)! He started Kindergarten this year, and is already reading short books. He is a very smart boy. He had straight strawberry blonde hair up until he was about three years old, and then that head of hair turned curly! Which made it even more special that he is my Dad's namesake. He has the identical head of hair as him, but just blonde! And Vance sure does treasure his "cuh-rols" as he calls them. Whenever I ask him if he wants a haircut, he says, "No, don't cut my cuh-rols!"

Another point of interest about Vance is that he knocked out his two top front teeth when he was 2 years old. He fell off the ladder to Austin's loft bed, and ended up with two missing teeth and a handful of stitches. The poor guy, he had to be papoosed at the hospital and everything. It was so sad! But Auntie K bought him a little doggie costume to cheer him up, and I tell you ice cream is a wonderful thing. So needless to say, he has been toothless ever since. We are still waiting for the permanent ones to arrive. When they do, I fear I won't recognize my own child. And certainly he won't talk like Sylvester the Cat anymore!

Vance is very adventurous, and usually doesn't have much apprehension about things. He finally learned how to ride a bike last summer, and loves it! He is such a crack up, and a sort of comedian around here. He says the funniest things sometimes! He is afterall, Vancie Pants, the Bubs, and Bubba. He likes to do boy stuff like the brothers. He likes video games, building legos, sleeping with "Husky" his stuffed Chihuahua (go figure), and snuggling with me and Dave on the couch. He loves to ride as passenger in the dune buggy, mostly with Dave because he "goes faster" and is "crazy". He will laugh the entire time he is in that thing! He has recently enjoyed builing a car model with Daddy. He loves crafty things. He can often be found coloring, playing with "moonsand", etc. If it were up to him, we would have glitter, playdough, paint, and the like every day around here. Mommy just can't keep up with that! Another funny thing to know about Vance is that he will do pretty much anything if you pay him, even a quarter! Pretty funny! Cousin Drew has proved this theory!

Vance is overall just a sweet, happy, fun child to be around (most of the time)! I really love his personality. I am sad he is growing up so fast!

Luke Nolan DeShong AKA "Dirt Bike Boy"

Luke is our second and middle child. Ahhh, the poor dreaded middle child syndrome...Just joking!!! He was born on March 26th, 1999. He was such a cute and VERY chubby baby. He was a very happy baby as well. Always smiling and laughing. He had this belly laugh early in his first year of life that had us in stitches!

Luke is now almost 8, and in the second grade. He has always been a very active, very energetic, very busy boy. He's what you would call a real boy. He always has to be moving and/or talking. He loves sports of all kinds and is very athletically inclined. He can sure run fast during Sparks gametime! He loves playing basketball with his cousin Drew, is the only child that rides a dirt bike like Dad, and just generally likes to be outdoors. The funny thing is, although he is so busy-busy, and the first one to wrestle his brother to the ground, he is also very cautious. Unlike Austin who will just go gung-ho after something with no reservation whatsoever, Luke proceeds with caution. I don't quite get it!!!! We literally had to drag him on Goliath at Magic Mountain last year kicking and screaming, and after it was over, he kept asking to go again....and again and again. He just has to be convinced!

Other interests of Luke's are playing video games, especially Halo with Drew, playing with Star Wars action figures, having Light Saber fights, swimming, biking, and anything of the masculine sort. He also likes to bother his brothers!!!! And he sure is good at it. However, I think Luke has the softest heart of all my boys. He doesn't hide any of his sinfulness or try to be deceitful, he just comes right out and does it! This has opened up the opportunity for us to really train him in the way he should go, and we are beginning to see the fruitfulness of all the discipline and hard work! God is gracious!

Well, Luke is definitely the spice of my life, and I am so thankful God has given him to us. I anticipate with joy what the future holds for him!

Austin David DeShong AKA "Frogboy"

Austin David was born on June 25th, 1997, which also happens to be the day my parents were married, and also the day that my niece, Emma, was born. So that day is a special one in our family! He was such a happy and easy baby. When he was sleeping, he was out cold. When he was awake, he was happy. Not much has changed! He still remains my most easy going child. He is now 9 1/2 and in the fourth grade. He is always cheerful, very goofy, and is usually laughing or smiling. He has made me smile since the day he was born. He is also a very inquisitive child (if that is what you want to call it)! From an early age, he was a "button pushing, switch flipping" kind of kid. Always wants to know what things do and how things work (hmmmm....I wonder where he gets that from)? Sometimes this quality gets him into trouble, like burning his hand with the cigarette lighter in the truck, pulling the fire alarm at the hospital, accidentally starting a fire in the laundry room, and turning off the breakers to the house! But someday, I know this curiosity will be used in a good way! He has a lot of talent and ability.

Something else you should know about Austin is that he LOVES frogs. It all got started a few years ago when Auntie K gave him a stuffed beanie frog for Easter. That frog was named "Froggy" and he took that thing everywhere he went until it was mangled and destroyed and you could no longer recognize what it was! From then on it has been one frog after the next. The beloved "Froggy" now lives in a box in the laundry room with his descendant "Hopscotch", who was the replacement frog for his first, and has since been mangled into oblivion as well. But only because he was loved and used so much. Austin currently has "Croaks", "Leapers", "Lake Arrowfrog", "Smoochy", "Hop on Pop", etc. who all live up in his loft. "Leapers" is the preferred frog of choice right now, which means it travels everywhere Austin goes. Just as Dave loves motorcycles, Austin loves frogs. It is just a part of who he is!

Austin also loves reading, doing puzzles, playing video games, riding bikes, doing magic tricks, and making stuff work. He also likes driving the dune buggy, and he has only rolled it over once!!! He also has taken an interest in music. We just got him his first guitar for Christmas, and he is anxious to learn how to play. Some of Austin's favorite foods are cheese (especially extra aged Gouda-he knows what's good), butter on anything, bacon, and anything else artery-clogging!

He is a very loving boy, doesn't have any concern about appearances, and is kind and generous towards all he comes in contact with. He doesn't judge anyone or pick and choose who he will be friends with. He just cares for everyone. I also happen to think he is very smart. I can't wait to see what he grows up to be. I just pray he will trust Christ as his savior. The rest is icing on the cake.

Dave!!!!

Let's start with the man of the family. As of now there is only one....but three to come. Dave is the most easy going person you will probably ever know. I have never seen him stressed out, never heard him complain, and never had to talk him into buying a motorcycle (that's our little joke)! Seriously, Dave is very hard working, always on time, very mechanical, and is just a great example of faithfulness to our boys. When there is work to be done, it gets done! I hope they will be able to learn the wonderful skills and ethics that God has blessed Dave with.

He began "building stuff" at a young age. He would sit for hours builiding amazing lego creations (so he tells me, I wasn't there). Generally, he has been gifted with the ability to fix almost anything, build amazing things, and make stuff work. I call him my own personal genius. He started working for Technifex, Inc. part time shortly after we were married, and it soon turned into a full time career opportunity for him. Over the years he has learned so many valuable skills there. Basically, the company builds special effects for theme parks, casinos, trade shows, wealthy people who want something cool in their backyard, etc. They build fire effects, mechanical effects, water effects, etc. Some of the fun projects he has worked on have been the Tomb Raider ride, the Sea Lion and Otter show at Sea World, "Anatomy of a Shark Bite" for Discovery Channel, and many more. This has been fun for us as well. Sometimes the boys get to go in and see the cool things Daddy is building. His job has been challenging and rewarding, and we are very thankful that he can use his talents and ability to provide for our family.

Dave is also the fix it man around the house as well. He maintains all our vehicles, all the functions of the home, and pretty much does everything himself. We very rarely have to "hire that done!" Some of the cool things he has done in our home have been a loft bed for Austin, a custom metal bed for the master bedroom, a copper re-pipe, and a plethora of home improvement related items. Our house was trashed when we bought it, and the reason it looks so nice today is because of Dave's hard work, sweat, and tears. Well, maybe not the tears!

As revealed in the last post, Dave loves motorcycles. He also loves old classic hot rods. He owned a '61 Chevy pickup for many years that he hoped to finish restoring, but finally sold it to buy our crew cab, which is much more practical. Let's just say he has a new project! Someday, I think Dave would love to build a classic car with the boys when they are all old enough. For now, they build models of classic cars!

Dave is not into sports at all (unless it's racing of some kind). I truly appreciate that quality about him. I hate football!!! We have gone to see the drag races before, which we all enjoyed tremendously. Now that we all like riding dirt bikes, we would like to go see some Motocross racing or something.

Dave is simple, and that's what I love about him. No frills, not complicated to understand, not hard to live with at all. He's even a very clean person. What more could a wife ask for???

Our Family Interests-Fun Things We Like To Do!

Today I thought I would just describe what our family as a whole is all about. Our daily routine, activities, hobbies, etc.

Our weekdays are all about work for Dave and school for the rest of us. Dave works great hours. He is home by 3:40pm most days, unless he has a deadline to meet or a project that needs to ship out to its destination. His job is very interesting! More about Dave and his job and talents later, though. His great hours give us a lot of freedom to shop, run errands, work on household projects and chores, such as mowing the lawn, etc. before dinnertime. I try to be completely done with all my duties and responsibilities by the time Dave arrives home. Likewise, I like the boys to be done with all their schoolwork and other chores as well.

Our school usually starts at 9:00am (roughly), and we usually begin with math. The boys do a lot of work on their own. Dave just recently made me a "schoolroom" equipped with built in countertops with a workspace for each of us. That has been such a blessing, as we can all be together in the same room, and I can be at the computer and available for the boys when they need me. I work with Vance and his kindergarten materials for about 30 minutes to 1 hour each day, and then he goes off to play. Luke usually finishes up by lunchtime. Austin has the most work, and will finish anywhere from 2:00pm-3:30pm. After they finish schoolwork, they practice AWANA verses and have quiet reading time.

Speaking of AWANA, we have been participating in the AWANA program at Grace Community Church, since Austin was three. Each boy has gone through two years of Cubbies, and then they moved on to Sparks for three years. Vance is in Kindergarten Sparks, Luke is in 2nd grade Sparks, and Austin is in his second year of Truth and Training. Dave and I have served as 2nd grade AWANA leaders for about 4 years. The AWANA program has been such a blessing to our family, and the boys look forward to going every Wednesday night to hear a message from the Bible, recite memorized verses, and play game time in the gym.

Our Church is our life! I have been attending Grace Church since 1996 when I became a Christian. Dave became a believer in 1999. Over the years, we have attended Cornerstone Fellowship group, served in the nursery caring for little ones, and we are now plugged into the Juniors Ministry. This is the class for 4th-6th graders to attend on Sunday mornings. This has been both a privilege and blessing to serve alongside so many wonderful and amazing Christians. We plan on serving here for quite a while. Austin just started in Juniors last fall, and even got to go to his first Juniors Camp last December. I also went as a leader. It was such a blast. And we have learned so much over the years being under the pulpit ministry of John MacArthur, an incredibly gifted Bible teacher.

We also have belonged to a Bible Study for many years now, held at the home of Todd and Diane Brooks, some great friends of ours. Recently, the original study of about 13 couples has dissolved. A few of us couples are sticking around and the study has combined with a college Bible Study consisting of Masters' College Students. We will see what the Lord has in store for us through this group.

OK, as for interests, we love motorcycles. Dave has always been passionate for the two-wheeled, whether it be bicycles, street bikes, or dirt bikes. Dave bought his first motorcycle when we were still dating, and has owned one ever since. He currently has a Ducati 900 ss, which he uses to commute the entire 6 miles to work (such a long ride). I really enjoy going out with him on date nights (as long as it is warm enough...I am ALWAYS cold)! He even bought me my very own pink helmet and jacket to wear, so I am safe and stylish at the same time! We used to ride dirt bikes together out in the desert before the kids were born. Then we sold them after Austin was born, thinking it would be quite a while before we would get back on them again. Well, sure enough, it came time to get our kids out there, and we bought them all a Honda 50 to learn on. Well, even with training wheels on it, Luke was the only one who really had an interest in riding (for Dave, that's all we needed was one son to ride with Dad and share his passion)! Little by little we have added more recreational vehicles, so we can all have fun in the dirt. We have a two seater dune buggy, a man-sized dirt bike for Dave (YZ400), and our newest addition as of last night, a Honda XR80 (for me-and anyone else who wants to use it)! We have also entered the world of camping, which happens to go nicely with the dirt bike riding. We bought a used pop-up trailer last summer, and have really enjoyed the three trips we have used it on so far. Our first trip was to Yosemite last summer, and that was the granddaddy of inaugurations into the camping world, I must say. That was a spectacular trip. We hiked the mist trail (all 5 of us), biked, hiked, and swam. I will include a picture from that trip. We also went to Big Bear in September with our friends, the Von Stowvers. That was a great time as well. The boys really love fishing, but the only fish caught was a tiny little two-incher that Austin reeled in!! Our last trip was to California City with the Harasicks and Tubbs to ride dirt bikes. I think that was such a blast. The kids rode and rode and rode. The only time we saw them was when the can of cheese sauce was opened! We plan to continue those types of trips in the future. We will be going to Yosemite again this summer, as well as to Big Bear again, although this time right on the water with full hookups!!! Thanks Harasicks!!!!

The other interests our family enjoys are biking and hiking at Vasquez Rocks, or anywhere we can. The boys have recently taken an interest to building car models like Dave used to make when he was a kid. That will probably prove to be an ongoing interest. As for any hint of a feminine type activity in this household....well cooking and baking is probably my favorite thing to do! I do know how to knit!!!! But, I have to say, I really enjoy getting on the dirt bike and hitting the trail with the rest of them. I'm no tom-boy by any means, I just love to be relaxed and have fun with the boys!!! More to come....

DeShong Family Forecast: Current Conditions!

I thought I should probably begin by telling a lit bit about where our family is in life right now. Dave and I are in our early thirties (I can say that for one more year)!!! Austin is 9 1/2, Luke is 7 3/4, and Vance is 5 3/4. Dave has been working for Technifex, Inc., a special effects company in Valencia, for about 11 years now. I have been a homemaker since two weeks before Austin was born. We live in our wonderful house here in Saugus that we have owned since 2000. We have been homeschooling the boys since Austin started Kindergarten. We now belong to Lighthouse Christian Academy, who handles our records, and with whom we can participate in fun classes, field trips, sports, etc. The boys have already enjoyed kickball, soccer, and trips to such places as The Hollywood Bowl, the United States Post Office, and the Ralph's Market. The boys really enjoyed dissecting owl pellets as well. Who would have thought that you could find the whole skeleton of a bird and a rodent inside a little ball of fluff that the owl regurgitated!!!!
Well, I hope to soon profile each person in the family, so I can remember each person's current interests and personality. More coming up.....

The beginning of something new!

Well, after much pressure from fellow bloggers to create a family archive, I have decided to start a family blog. It will chronicle important and interesting events in the life of our family. We are the DeShongs: David, Suzanne, Austin, Luke, and Vance. This is real stuff in the life of a household full of boys! And me being the only girl makes it pretty interesting! The picture was taken on our way to California City to ride our dirt bikes and dune buggy. We went with the Harasicks and the Tubbs families in November of '06 for three days. That was such a fun trip! There will definitely be posts of upcoming trips that we are hoping to take soon (once all the damage from the last trip is cleaned up)! Let's just say 9 year old + dune buggy + large bump at full speed = tip over!!!! Well, stay tuned for some fun and interesting stuff!