Desperate

Incorporating Bible Reading into Family Life

2009-11-05T08:30:00.003-06:00

Its been awhile since I posted. And it will probably be awhile till a true update comes.

But I read a blog from a lady on how they read the Word of God together as a family, and just felt like this was too good to not share with someone. Clay and I still have not found the "perfect" way to incorporate Bible reading into our family times. I love they way her family does it and I just love reading her stuff in general. Check it out here, maybe it will help spur ideas in my mind and heart that will work for your family.

Fun at the Park

2008-09-29T21:06:00.004-05:00

Jeremiah's face after his 3rd time down a slide by himself.

God blessed us with such a beautiful day so we took a walk and went to the park.

Title Change/Walking in the Spirit/Busyness

2008-09-29T15:00:00.006-05:00

So I have been wanting to change the tile for some time - but really been trying to figure out what I would like that to be. I've really been thinking about what the Lord's theme is for my life right now. Desperate kind of describes it.

I have been thinking about things in my life like changing diapers, and playing dolls, holding babies, and trying to figure out how to keep the house clean during all that, as well as how to love Clay in the best way, serve Christ, and how to balance my family's happenings and Clay's family's happenings, with social obligations, and to be prayerful, and intentional towards others as well as intentional to raise godly children . . . plus getting dinner, laundry, grocery shopping.....

I have wanted a way to balance. And over and over as I have thought "I just wish I knew how to balance it all," I have felt the Lord saying, "My Word does not tell you to 'balance.' My Word tells you to surrender all for the sake of Christ, to seek first My kingdom and My righteousness, to abandon all, to walk in My Spirit."

And so the more I've thought about this the more I realize that I am royally going to screw it up. No matter what it is - I in my flesh will screw it up.

See I have come to terms with the fact that only the Lord knows what I need to be doing at any given moment. I am endlessly in a state of "What should I do now? Do I play with the kid who is at my feet beckoning me to play a game? Or what about the child who wants me to read their book? Oh but the baby is crying - do I go pick him up? And we have to have food . . . I need to be cooking dinner, oh and the clothes in the dryer just finished, and I have ten thank you notes that I am in the middle of writing, and I feel like God placed so&so on my heart and He wants me to call them, and I feel like He is whispering to me, "Kneel down pray. "

Here is the thing. There are times that the child needs to be picked up/read to/played with because if I don't at that moment, I am crushing their spirit. But there are times that they need to play by themselves or help me with the work because if I give in to all their requests I am over indulging them and making them even more self-centered.

There are times that I really need to call that friend - immediately because they really need words of encouragement at that moment.

There are times that I need to be on my face before the Lord - even if there are kids running around me, screaming and demanding my attention because I need to obey my Father and He may have me praying for someone who is in danger.

And there are times that the one thing I need to be doing is folding clothes or cooking dinner.

But I don't understand how all those times play out - in of myself.

I have to surrender myself to the Lord.

And therefore, I am realizing more and more that I am desperate. I am desperate for the Lord to direct each step.

I am desperate to be walking in the Spirit.

I was telling Clay last night that in the last few weeks, I have really felt as if the Lord is speaking to me, prompting me to pray, weeding out sin, circumcising my heart. I have been praying for Him to open up my eyes and heart - and in my flesh I don't necessarily like it.

It also scares me - because there are so many times that I don't stop and listen to the Lord - but just go on being busy. It happened the other day. The kids were asleep and I said to myself "Lord I know You want me to stop and pray - but God there are five baskets of clothes that I need to fold." And He responded in my heart, "I know you have clothes to fold. But I am calling you to pray. You can pray and let Me deal with sin in your heart or you can choose to disobey - but you might not hear from Me for a long time like you have been hearing from Me if you choose to disobey." Oh that was warning enough - for I don't want my heart to be hardened again.

Just today I was praying and crying to the Lord about a relationship that I have in which wires have been crossed, feelings have been hurt, and sins have been committed & forgiven. And as I was praying and crying to the Lord, "God I know that they were hurt. I am so sorry for that - but I too felt rejected by them being to busy to make time for our friendship." And the Lord gently whispered to me, "I know. I know how you feel. For I feel the same about you. I have asked you to stop and pray & fellowship and you say, 'but God I am too busy. But God I have clothes to wash, mouths to feed, places to go, I am so tired, I need sleep. ' "I have asked you to come to Me for help and you have said, 'but God I have Bible study, but God the baby is crying, but God...I am so busy." I know rejection, for you reject me now though I already paid the price on the cross and was rejected then. I know my child."

My SAM student(wise beyond her years) has said to me several times as we've meet to discuss things of the Lord that she God is teaching her that He gives us relationships on this earth for the purpose of understanding Him and how we are to relate to Him.
He gives us mothers so that we understand the He nurtures.
He gives us fathers so that we can understand He is our Father.
He gives us husbands (and those in authority) so we can learn to submit to Him.
He gives us friends so that we can learn to relate to Him as Friend.
And I am convinced He gives us kids to show us how unholy we are, how much sanctifying we need, and how His heart grieves over our sins, and to give us a picture of the deepness of the love He has for us.

So, with all this rambling I am trying to share that I am trying to keep remembering that I am desperate for the Lord because if I try and do anything in my flesh - I will make an utter mess.

Date Night

2008-09-27T22:09:00.003-05:00

My sweet husband and I had a wonderful date. We went to a movie and loved it. Go see it if you get a chance. Then we ate dinner at a park until we cold not stand being outside anymore (swarming mosquitoes). Then we got to go sit in the van behind the airport and look at planes while we talked and we got to pray together. We decided it was time to leave right before we saw a car coming down this empty road (it was a cop that apparently was coming to see what we were doing cause the car followed us for a while). It was a good night!

If you get a chance go see Fireproof.

Things to be thankful for

2008-09-26T15:19:00.004-05:00

1. That God circumcises our heart.
2. That all my kids are sleeping at the same time.
3. Worship - it gets me beyond myself and circumstances and gives me glimpses of our Holy God.
4. Holli my SAM student and mentoree who so unselfishly watched my two oldest while I took Jeremiah to doctor for check up.
5. My sister, Shan is expecting her first child!
6. Three beautiful children.
7. The cardinals that sit on my fence and eat bugs/seed from my yard.
8. A heavenly father that holds me up and carries me through the day.
9. Forgiveness
10. My handsome husband that I enjoy spending time with.
11. A date planned for this weekend.
12. Food to cook.
13. Stillness.
14. Fall is here.
15. The Lord draws us.
16. The Lord reveals sin that we might confess and be forgiven.
17. The eagerness of my kids (especially Micah) to do school.
18. Jeremiah is six months and so far this time around breastfeeding is still going strong(better than the other two times).

Answered Prayer

2008-09-10T10:56:00.002-05:00

Early this morning I met with two really neat and humble ladies who are willing to start meeting together regularly to pray for one another and our families. God has answered a longing within me and a prayer that I have been praying for years (though not always as faithfully as I should have been). I am so thankful and excited.

My prayer is for the Lord to be in our midst during this time and change us all into His likeness.

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst."

Our House - Before and Now

2008-08-20T22:45:00.020-05:00

It's been a long journey here at Wayside. We moved in and in the first week began painting and tore out the bathroom to floor beams and studs (hoping to finish in a couple of weeks, HA!). We ran in to sewer problems, gas line problems, time problem and life problems. We put in central heat and air, replaced most of the sewer lines, replaced the gas lines, remodeled the bathroom and kitchen, put up a white picket fence in the back, and painted the interior of the house (slooooooowly, nearly 3 years, and it's about 99% done).

In this house we've:
- seen two kids learn to walk and talk
- gone through 1.5 pregnancies
- had many many sleepless nights (from kids and from construction on the house)
- changed many many poopy diapers
- gone through two kids potty training
- survived two rat deaths (and their smell)
- taken showers outside because there was no functioning bathtub (in the cold, while very pregnant, and more than once)
- gone to Albertson's to go to the bathroom because there was no functioning toilet (more than once)
- watched our two oldest become the best of friends
- experienced growth in the Lord
- learned our marriage roles better
- seen our kids "sing like God"
- seen two kids take their first bites of food
- thrown two first birthday parties
- and so much more...

See the changes...

The Kitchen

The Dining Room

The Living Room

Bedrooms

The Bathroom

Progress

2008-07-28T22:14:00.004-05:00

New floors, cabinets, counter top, sink, and partial walls ... next up: doors for top and bottom cabinets & a fresh coat of paint.

How Blessed We Are

2008-07-15T23:05:00.002-05:00

We would like to invite you to praise the goodness of our God with us. He has had us on a journey of growing our faith and molding us over these last few years (and He has all of His children and we are still being perfected). Clay and I got married with two years left of college (we’ve been married almost 6 years). We had plans of finishing school and both of us working for about 5 years before starting a family and we figured that we would have 3 or 4 children. We also both knew that we would like to do missions if God called us to that. We came out of college with significant debt (almost all of Clay’s college and my last two years) and credit card debt. We were not very wise in some of the choices we made – but we figured that with both of us working we would have it paid off in a short time after we got out of school.

We did not plan on God convicting us about our use of birth control just a few months after getting married. We both just felt like God was telling us that if we really trusted in Him and believed Him to be in control of all things that we would trust Him to give us a child in His perfect timing and that He would provide for all of our needs. We were preparing to graduate, I found a job, and Clay was preparing to go ahead an get his Master’s when we found out we were pregnant with our first child – just two days after walking across the stage to get our diplomas.

So we were a two-income family for only about 6 months out of our whole marriage. Needless to say we did not really pay off much of that enormous debt that we had incurred. Instead, we just got by and when something out of the ordinary would happen – the expense would go on credit cards.

A few months before we had Gabriella we were to the point of barely able to pay all of our bills. We were trying to eat rice and beans and meals prepared from chicken legs for most of our meals. We kept trying to remind ourselves that we were still eating better than most of the people in the world. We would do well for a little bit living inside our means and then we would just break down and go get something.

So we got further and further in debt. The summer after I had Gabriella I was in a Bible study and the Lord really used that to convict me of the sin of our debt. I felt like the Lord was saying that if we were going to trust Him to take care of us and provide that we had to pray more and take our hands off of the circumstances and let Him be the provider. That’s when we tried to stop using the credit cards at all. Clay switched jobs to bring home more money and then we cut up our credit cards. It is neat to look back and see how much God has provided for us.

There are so many instances of us looking at our budget and deciding that there was no way we could afford certain things. Then we would pray and God would provide. When Clay took this job we were a single car family but his job took him farther away from home with less flexibility to go in late and work around appointments and such. So we were concerned about the car issue. A little after Clay decided he was going to take the job we were given a car (an 84 Subaru that sounded like a motorcycle – but it got him back and forth to work.) We were ecstatic. Three months later we were given Nissan Sentra that is much more reliable.

Another instance was God’s provision of a mattress. We knew that it would be years before we could save to buy one. When I was pregnant with Jeremiah I would wake up with a backache so bad that I was having trouble walking – so we prayed and told God that we would really like a new one, but that we were thankful that at least we had a mattress. We were then given a mattress in much better condition when Clay’s parents decided to buy them a new mattress.

There would be times were I would wonder how in the world we were going to clothe Micah for the next season. I would worry and scheme and then I would tell the Lord that I did not know how I was going to clothe her. Then I would get a package in the mail full of clothes or I would get trash bags full of clothes that one of my friend’s from high school’s daughter had outgrown.
I had decided that I wanted to use cloth diapers for the third baby. We had budgeted so that we could afford to buy them. But then we had a lot of sickness with the girls and therefore a lot of doctors’ visits and a hospital stay. As a result of all the unplanned medical expenses, we did not have the money set aside for diapers. Again we talked with God about this and told Him of our desire for this. We were given 270 dollars about 6 weeks before we had Jeremiah. I was able to use that money for the cloth diapers and accessories that we had wanted to buy.

We were also was given a crib that turned into a toddler bed along with a cute bed set for a nursery. I had always wanted to buy a cute little nursery set but never felt like I had the money. I was quite excited to finally get one.

Another instance was that our pots and pans were in desperate need of replacing. We knew our financial situation would not allow for us to purchase them for many months or years. Clay and I prayed about the need for new ones and the resources to get them. I knew Clay was going to try and find away to come up with the money to bless me with new pots and pans for Christmas. But much to our surprise – the Lord had a different plan of providing those. One day Clay came home and brought me a very nice set of pots and pans and said that someone had asked him what he wanted to get me for Christmas. Then they bought pots and pans for me.

There were times when I was concerned about our food situation. One time a friend that was moving brought us everything that was left in their freezer and fridge. Another time there was a box of food brought to us. Not to mention all the meals that were provided for us after the birth of babies and after we got out of the hospital with Gabriella.

We could go on and on about all the ways we’ve seen God provide…

There were so many times in the midst of all of this that we would pray, “God we know you can deliver us from this. We also know that there are consequences to our sin of getting ourselves in debt. But God we are tired of living in bondage to all this debt and we want to learn whatever You want us to learn through this time. If You choose to deliver us praise You. If You choose to have us pay this out for the next thirty years praise You. We want Your will.“

I was quite ecstatic a few days ago when someone came to our home a wrote us a check that covers all of credit card debt, pays off our car, and leaves some money for us to finish up some projects around the house that we’ve never had money to do – so that we can get the house ready to sale. Praise be to the Lord, the Great Deliver!!!

As Clay was driving home that afternoon God reminded him that He gave us so much more in His Son, Jesus. As a result of this monetary gift of so much, I am now realizing how unfathomable is the Gift of Christ. How incomprehensible is His Gift!

Our prayer is that God would be glorified in our lives and that we would be surrendered to Him in every area of our lives. Whatever hardships or victories may come our way we want our lives to be the fragrance of Christ.

Daddy's Helpful Hand

2008-07-01T22:45:00.002-05:00

Our SAM student was over the other night for dinner. We had finished eating and were sitting around the table waiting on the girls to finish up. Gabriella grabbed Clay's hand and entangled her little fingers around hers. Then she brought their hands up to her face. Holli and I looked over to see Gabriella sticking Clay's finger in her nose. We started to laugh and then Gabriella said, "Daddy, I diggin!"

A Three Year Old's Theology

2008-07-01T22:26:00.002-05:00

Micah tells Clay last night as he is putting her down for bed: "Jesus likes it when I drink milk." Clay said, "Oh really." Then Micah said, "yeah He gets it all over. " Clay asked, "because Jesus is inside you?" Micah responds with "Yeah."

Today we were talking about Jesus and Micah said, "Jesus lives in heaven." I told her that He does and that we also say that He lives in our hearts and what we are meaning is that Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to live in us and help us. Micah says, "Jesus lives in heaven and heaven is in our hearts."

Don't you wish your garden could do this?

2008-06-25T23:33:00.003-05:00

This is just a few minutes of picking from my parents' garden. They planted over an acre of vegetables. I have already put up a little bit of corn (but we are expecting lots and lots of corn in a few weeks). Now I've got to get busy with putting up okra and putting up all the tomatoes that came out of our garden. The odd looking blob is the head of a mammoth sunflower that my dad planted as a buffer to keep insects off his garden. The white spots are the seeds. In the back you see a club of a zucchini (they did not realize they were producing yet - so it got a bit big) and you also see a watermelon. Once I get all the okra and tomatoes put up - I will have to go back for more (there is no way my parents can eat or put up all those vegetables - so my siblings and I get to take as we please!)

Jeremiah is 10 Weeks

2008-06-05T22:42:00.002-05:00

We went in to see the doctor today. He weighs 14.5 lb (with diaper) and is 24.5 inches thats up from last week at 13 lbs 12 oz (without diaper) and 23 3/4 inches. He is growing too fast in our opinions.

That's our boy... always spitting up.
(So how does he gain so much weight when he is always spitting up?)

Flower Seed Anyone?

2008-05-21T08:51:00.005-05:00

I have hundreds of flower heads full of their seeds about to drop to the ground. Would anyone like some of the seeds? My flower bed cannot hold all these seeds and I would love to share. I am not sure of the type of flower. I have found several online that are similar but not exactly the same.

If interested post a reply with your email if I don't know it.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-12T00:01:00.010-05:00

For Mother's Day I (Clay) took Shala and the girls to the Waco zoo. We all had a blast and actually got a family picture.

Micah and her "picture" smile waiting to enter the zoo.

Gabriella worried her hat was going to fly away, mind you there was little wind.

Mommy and Jeremiah staying close to one another

The water is always a big hit with our girls.

My pretty girls and handsome boy loving on their beautiful mother.

We actually got a good picture as a family on the FIRST try!

After a long day of fun, Jeremiah has one request... FEED ME MOMMY!!!

Clay

A Two Year Olds Mind

2008-04-25T11:57:00.003-05:00

A few days ago I was going to let the girls go swimming in their little pool.

Me: "Gabriella, go get your bathing suit."
G: "Okay!"
From her room I hear rattling and her grunting. She runs back into the kitchen where I am.
Me: "Gabriella, where's your bathing suit?"
G: "The drawer is not sharing with me!"

I call Jeremiah "little bub" and a lot of times when he cries Gabriella will scream out to him, "I'm coming little bub." Well yesterday she was climbing on her bed and hit on bottom on the wood railing and she started crying. I asked her what hurt and she said, "my bub." I asked, "your bottom (she was rubbing her bottom)." She responded, "No - my bub." I asked her, "Your butt (figuring she'd heard Clay or I call it that)." She said "Yeah - my bub."

Apparently she thinks I am calling Jeremiah "little butt."

Then today I was changing Jeremiah's diaper and Gabriella is rolling around on the bed where he's getting changed. She looks at him and says, "Whats that? What's that? (pointing towards his penis.) I tell her, "That is his penis."
Gabriella: "Peanuts?"
Me: "Penis."
Gabriella: "Peanuts!"

Well, she might be a little confused next time we ask her if she wants to eat peanuts!

Bluebonnets

2008-04-23T16:12:00.005-05:00

We were out at my mom's this weekend and we got some pictures of the girls in bluebonnets that I thought I would share. My brother is also in some of these with his "pet' turkey. My parents are raising some wild turkeys. This turkey follows my brother everywhere he goes. My dad says that Payt is her tom. The tom my parents had died awhile back and this particular turkey is wanting to lay eggs. So, instead of having a tom to mate with she chases my brother everywhere. He can even ride in the mule and the turkey will run alongside the mule right next to Payt. It is quite a sight!

Great Books

2008-04-23T15:46:00.003-05:00

I was listening to a past talk by Nancy Leigh DeMoss on parenting and having great literature in the home. She highlighted a ministry, Lamplighter Publishing that is republishing books from the 1800's as well as publishing new books. These books teach character and they have picture books as well as novels. In other words, there is something for everyone. Check out this ministry. I am pretty sure that any of you who actually read this blog will find something on their sight that you would really enjoy reading. Also, I encourage you to listen to Nancy's talk if you are parents or plan on becoming parents at any time.

Meet the Ingalls Clan

2008-04-16T14:25:00.003-05:00

We have been T.V.-less for over a week now. And it is going great. I have wanted to get rid of the T.V. for months now because I really felt like the kids were watching too much t.v. But in truth I was not ready to do that when it took all I had to wash two loads of clothes a day, do a load or two of dishes, and fix dinner. I was just not up to finding more ways to entertain the kids. So the t.v. stayed - though in my heart I hated that we had it - and really felt like it was becoming an idol in my children's lifes. But once I had the baby - I had tons of energy - and a lot more patience than I have had in months. So, praise the Lord for that! And praise the Lord - the t.v. is out of the house for now.

We went to the library and brought home 30 new books (not as if we have shortage of books here - but I wanted to give the kids something new to read). Now most of the time when I sit down to feed the baby, I also sit down to a stack of books to read to the girls (by the way I am learning things about insects and dogs that I had no idea about - like some grasshoppers have wholes in their legs which allow them to hear!). One of the books I got for them was Little House on The Prairie. I read it to them and their daddy at bedtime (we have to catch daddy up for the chapters he misses while he is at work and I read to them at nap time). The girls love it!

In fact they love it so much that Daddy, Mommy, Micah, Gabriella, and Jeremiah no longer reside at our house. Instead we have, Pa, Ma, Mary, Laura, and Carrie (I refuse to call Jeremiah Carrie - but the girls call him that). The girls respond better to their new names and are much more cooperative when I call them by their Little House on the Prairie names than when I use their real names. They also get upset when I forget to use our character names.

It has been much fun to pretend to be these characters. However, it is rather amusing to Clay and I as we laugh about the time period differences. For example, last night I told the girls that Ma was going to set her timer for five minutes while the girls picked up around camp. At one point I asked Mary "Micah" to pick up her phone. In which she responds, "Okay, but its my sister's cell phone."Though it may only be amusing to us - it is something we will always treasure. Clay and I are very thankful that we have gotten rid of the T.V.

Thought I would share some pictures of life on the "prairie" with Mary, Laura, and Carrie.

Mary, Laura, and Carrie in the Camp.

The girls went out to chase gophers in the prairie.

Mary
(Note that her hair is braided: She never likes her hair fixed but wanted it braided because Mary's hair is braided in Little House on the Prairie.

Laura

3 Weeks

2008-04-15T22:42:00.000-05:00

Jeremiah is doing great. He is eating and growing well. At his two week appointment he was already 10 lbs 1 oz. He will outgrow his 0-3 month clothing in no time at all. He is starting to smile more, loves to be carried by mommy, and enjoys swinging in the swing. Now if his tummy just would not hurt throughout the night - then daddy and mommy could sleep at night!

A good reminder

2008-04-09T21:58:00.002-05:00

I read this somewhere awhile back. I have needed this reminder many times today.

"In parenting the days are long but the years are short."

Growing Up

2008-04-03T13:58:00.004-06:00

Jeremiah is changing fast. On Monday he weighed 8lbs and 15.5 oz. Today he lost his umbilical cord. He is starting to stay awake a little bit longer. We are enjoying him very much.

My little man

Micah adores him.

Gabriella adores him too. In her defense he had already started to fuss before she came to love on him. But she is rougher with him than Micah is, so we have to watch her very, very closely.

It's a Boy!

2008-03-27T21:00:00.004-06:00

The baby is finally here! Jeremiah Jacob was born on Tuesday at 8:43 . He weighed 8 lbs and 11 0z. We are all thrilled to have him here and home.

And It Stopped

2008-03-21T18:16:00.002-06:00

After nearly 13 hours of contractions with the intensity increasing throughout the day - it all stopped. Clay and I got a good nights rest while my mom and dad stayed up all night with our girls (who were too excited to sleep).

This morning my showed signs of progression (if you are easily grossed out or male - jump to next paragraph). I started having bloody show about 5 this morning and have had it several times since.

We really hope that means labor will start within 24 hours. I hate having the girls away for so long. I am also really concerned about the burden it puts on my mom and dad to try and keep up with two very active little girls.

Clay and I spent this morning running errands that are hard to do with two little girls in tow. Clay got a haircut, I got a pedicure(though left quite disappointed because she refused to really massage my feet because she said that could cause the baby to slip right out - I don't think we would have been too upset.), and looking for Gabriella a birthday present (any ideas what to get her? we have so many toys . . . any great educational things out there or books that anyone knows of that a two year old might like? Then Clay came back to the house and worked from home, I took a nap, woke up, and then did some cleaning in the house.

But still no real contractions. I have small ones here and there - but nothing that looks promising. I also have a slight dull backache.

We will be going to pick up the kids about lunch time tomorrow if nothing starts up before then.

Prayers for my mom and dad would also be appreciated as they are not use to keeping up with my girls.

Progress Towards Baby

2008-03-20T14:16:00.003-06:00

We went to the doctor yesterday. She said I was 50% effaced and 2 cm dilated. As we all know that could mean that I will go into labor today or it could be two more weeks. It was nice knowing that all the pain that I had up till due date was actually doing something (unlike with my other two where I was about 50% effaced but only like 1/2cm at my due date).

Today I have been having constant back pain and some contractions that are more intense than what I have previously been having. The baby is also much more active today than what it normally is at this time of the day. I started having the contractions about 11 this morning and have had them through being at library with girls, fixing lunch and feeding us, cleaning up from lunch, doing some clothes, getting them down for a nap, reading to them, and then me laying down for about an hour. But I still can not determine if it will actually result in me being in actual labor today.

Praise the Lord! Gabriella is doing much better. Her cough is much improved, there is a lot less snot, and her eyes are no longer nearly swollen shut. She has also started playing with her sister again instead of just fighting with her (or more like screaming every time Micah comes near her).

Update:

So it has been 12 hours of contractions that would last for several hours - stop - and then resume with a little bit more intensity. My mom just took the girls with her. Clay and I are going for a walk and then the plan is to try and get some sleep. It is beginning to seem more like this could be it - but only time will tell.

Update on Baby & Family Illnesses

2008-03-18T22:07:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow is the baby's due date. I thought I was ready a week ago to have the baby. But Micah came down with a cough and runny nose (we thought that was allergies). On Saturday, Gabriella got extremely grumpy and whinny, started running a fever, quit eating, and drinking, and started screaming every time she said she had to go potty. They have run a urine test on Gabriella - which came back negative - meaning she does not currently have a UTI. She is eating a little and drinking better. She is also not screaming every time she tries to pee. But now she is coughing a horrible cough constantly and sneezing and has tons of snot. Her little eyes are red and swollen. She is miserable and making everyone else that way too. She breaks down in a fit with simple request such as "Gabriella, can you please come here." She bit her sister yesterday and keep whacking Micah over the head.

Anyhow, with all that said, I am not feeling so much like I am "ready" to have the baby. But I am having backaches, contractions, and all the different very pregnant pains. So from that perspective I am very ready to have baby.

We go in tomorrow morning to see our doctor. I have hardly been checked at all during this pregnancy - but she told me up front that she would have to check me once I reach my due date. So we are going along with that & tomorrow should know if my body has made any progress through all the contractions that I've already had.

So, for those of you who read this and would like to pray. Please pray that my little girls would be healthy (they are looking forward to meeting the baby). Pray that the rest of us will stay healthy and that the baby and I will stay safe through labor. Also pray for us to be content in the Lord's timing in this all (even if that means we have a baby two weeks late or if that means that we have a baby while the girls are still sick). I will try and give some sort of update tomorrow.

The Stinch of Death Returns Just in Time For the Fragrance of Life . . .

2008-03-08T23:31:00.003-06:00

Or at least that is what we expect. Two years ago about this time in March when I was very pregnant with Gabriella - we had a visitor. One whom we did not welcome. A visitor who got chased with a B-B gun on several occasions. Unfortunately, we did not get the victory. Not that the rat won - but on his way "out" he left us weeks of remembering him. When I came home from the hospital we could smell him. In the bathroom. Our only bathroom mind you. The bathroom in which Clay finally finished tiling the shower while I was in the hospital after having Gabriella. He died under our bathtub. My first shower in our home of 6 months was marked with comments of "What's that smell? We had to endure using the restroom and showering in there for weeks with the smell of a dead rat. Nothing that we tried would get rid of the smell. Only time. . .

Oh yeah, he left fleas too. . .

Well, here I am 10 days till due date - and guess who came to visit. It must be one of his relatives. Right now Clay is trying to get a rat trap in the wall behind our dishwasher. Our house has gotten a lot more secure than it was two years ago. We have sheet rock up in places that we did not before. We don't know of any holes that he can actually get into the rooms of our house. But he is in the walls. We just heard him again tonight trying to eat through the walls. We can here him climb the stack pipe in the bathroom wall and also run the length of our bathroom wall & up underneath the tub.

So as we prepare for the sweet smell of new life to enter into our home once more . . . we are also bracing ourselves for the very real possibility that we will also be enduring the smell of death for weeks to come.

Family Portrait

2008-03-07T01:22:00.002-06:00

In our family history we've only had like 5 pictures where our entire family was in the picture and no one's head was cut off. So enjoy...

Saving Money

2008-03-06T12:57:00.002-06:00

I recently started using The Grocery Game to help me plan my shopping and grocery list. I have already noticed a savings and I have only been using this for a month. The grocery game tracks sales and pairs them with the coupons found in the Sunday paper. You are then encouraged to only buy those things that are a 50% or more off in order to stockpile for when you really need them. She tells you how to plan your meal plan on what you have in stock and then just those few things you really need and anything else you will use later and can stockpile. The game rules say that it takes 12 weeks to create a good stockpile. If you are looking for ways to cut your monthly expenses I encourage you to try this out. You can get a trial on using this system for $1 for 4 weeks. Then it goes up to $10 every 8 weeks. Once I get a good handle on how to go about doing this - I might drop paying the money for her list and start using my own.

Another great site that I like to look at is Money Saving Mom. She will walk you through how to get a lot of stuff using coupons, rebates, and money back at Wal-greens and CVS. Again, I encourage you to check these out. I am just getting started using these systems to save money - but have enjoyed the things that I've gotten for free or 1/3 the original price.

If you know of any other really great sites on how to save money and live more frugal - please leave a link in the comments.

Gabriellaism

2008-02-26T17:30:00.001-06:00

I want some alligator pleazze = I want some Gatorade please.

Pregnancy Moment

2008-02-18T21:44:00.003-06:00

I was very tired tonight while cooking dinner. I thought to myself, "I am so tired. It feels like something is wrong. It feels like I could be pregnant." I was just about to say it out loud to Clay, when I snapped into reality, "Oh, yeah - I am pregnant."

Potty Progress

2008-02-18T20:44:00.003-06:00

Big things are happening around the potty lately (and I will have to tell you about the construction around the potty at another time!)!

Gabriella has started showing an interest in going potty again! She did several months back - but all was lost after her UTI and hospital stay. I had decided that I was just going to let it go until several months after baby's arrival. But one morning she woke up telling us she wanted to sit on the potty. So, now she is probably successfully using the potty about 1/4 of the time. I am not getting my hopes up too high about getting her out of diapers because I know her little world is going to be shocked when baby comes (she is already telling us she does not want a baby at our house).

Micah has been going potty for quite a while - but Clay and I really felt clueless as to how to get her to stay dry through the night and get her out of pull-ups at nap. The other day another mom was telling me that she has been taking her daughter to pee right before she goes to bed (which we've always done) and then the mom or dad will wake the little girl up a few hours later - when they are ready to go to bed - to take her to potty. We started doing that with Micah and so far it is working. Last night was her first night to sleep in panties all night - and she is very proud about her new panties that we bought her for the occasion.

So for now all is well around our potty . . . though our one bathroom is getting rather crowded with all the activity.

Funny Video

2008-02-01T21:23:00.000-06:00

Every since I have gotten pregnant with Micah I can smell garlic on almost everybody - especially Clay. During the beginning of pregnancies it makes me nauseated. The rest of the time during pregnancies (and sometimes even when I am not pregnant) it just generally repulses me. So, I pretty much quit cooking with garlic when I am pregnant so that I can stand to be near Clay. And if he ever comes home from work or somewhere and he has eaten anything with trace amounts of garlic in it - I can smell it on him as soon as he gets near. Which is kind of hard for him to avoid because garlic is in everything. So, I saw this video today - and in light of my garlic issues found it extremely funny. I hope that you enjoy!

Pathetic . . .

2008-01-28T20:39:00.000-06:00

my family that is. We can hardly stop coughing or blowing our noses. Micah and Clay are a running a fever. Gabriella and I both have elevated temps but not to the point of fever. I got a call Tuesday from the church saying that Gabriella was in a room with a kid on Sunday who had just come down with the chicken pox. So, we are watching for that. Micah keeps getting these spots that look like insect bites on her body but then they've been disappearing. But I just noticed they all reappeared in the first place we saw them two days ago. We've all been coughing. But I've been coughing since Wednesday. My stomach is sore and I fell as if I cough much more I am going to push this baby out. None of us want to eat. Which just leaves me nauseated. Of course the coughing makes me nauseated too. So if you have taken time to read this - we would really appreciate your prayers too.

Sisterly Love

2008-01-26T16:15:00.001-06:00

Almost every morning Clay and I hear Gabriella say to Micah.

"Micah, Micah, I so happy to see you." Then she gives Micah a big hug.

Our girls would be so lost without each other.

Micahisms

2008-01-15T15:53:00.000-06:00

I want to got to Old Mac Donald's and slide. (She's talking about Mc Donald's.)

"Frenchraunt" (Restaurant)

"She's cooperating!" (Micah says this when Gabriella is doing something that irritates her.)

I want to wear my stomach like Daddy! (She is telling us that she wants to go without wearing a shirt - she especially likes doing this when she takes a nap. I let her because the house gets hot and no matter how hot it is she still has to have 2-4 blankets on her in order for her to go to sleep.)

"I want to go to Buddy Store!" (H-E-B)

I know there are many many more - I am just drawing a blank because it is nap time. So, when I think of more I will try and add some of her cute little sayings.

Gabriellaisms

2008-01-15T15:47:00.000-06:00

"Chop-chop" (Lambchop)

"Nummy" (Yummy)

"Nuffin" (Muffin)

"That tasty!"

"Sound of Music! Sound of Music!" (She screams this repeatedly while waving a wand
in the air.)

"Oh No A Monster! Got to get out of here!" (Then she screams and runs).

"I beauutiful!" (She says this after putting lipgloss on, having her hair fixed, or
putting a dress on).

Gabriella to Clay: "Oh No A monster!"
Clay: "What are you going to do?"
Gabriella: "Cock a doodle do!"

She walks around pretending to read the Bible saying, "Bible "Praise the Lord!"

That is just a few of the things that she says daily. She a source of endless amusement. At least to me!

The Time Is Drawing Near . . .

2008-01-12T16:58:00.000-06:00

Nine and a half weeks to go. I know that still seems like a long time to a lot of people. It seemed like a long time with the first. But now that I have two little ones to chase after, I can look at the calender one day and we will be at the beginning of the week. Then it feel like the next time I look up we are already in the middle or the end of the month.

So around here we are getting ready for baby to come. We got the crib set up last week after Micah's 3rd Birthday party (more about that to come - at least that's my plan). Today Clay got in the attic with Micah's help (she has been talking about helping Daddy get the stuff down for the baby for weeks. She is so excited!!!) and got the all the 0-3 month clothing down. I figured that I would go ahead and wash it all since it could easily be a girl this time around too. If its not a girl, then I figure it will be easier to just throw all of the girl clothes in a box and put them back in the attic than it would be to wash all of them at that point.

Looking through all those newborn clothes that my girls wore sure brought back sweet memories. It can be very bittersweet watching babies grow up. It sure made my arms long more to hold this baby than I have so far in this pregnancy. While I've been extremely excited about adding another blessing to our family - I don't think I've really spent a lot of time just looking forward to the arrival of this sweet baby. But now we are in a season of preparation, and hopefully things will continue to be much slower than they had been for the last few months and we will have plenty of time to enjoy the two we have now & dream about the one on the way.

A Challenge To Younger Women from Revive Our Hearts

2007-12-28T21:39:00.000-06:00

Was listening to Revive Our Hearts and was very challenged by this. Thought I'd share.

On Revive Our Hearts today Holly Elliff said:

Let me issue a challenge to those younger women, maybe moms, who think they don’t have time to start becoming an "Anna." Let me encourage you that you do. Look for, pursue those little moments, whether you’re sorting dirty socks or in the car waiting . . . .

So what you’re not going to have are those large blocks of quiet to pray, so don’t wait for those. But you will have tiny moments of quiet. Sometimes I have to go in my closet to get those, but you’ll have tiny moments of quiet. So take advantage of developing the heart to be an "Anna" as you get older.

But it doesn’t start when you’re 50. It starts when you’re 20-something, or whatever age you are in-between there and 81, like Miss Dorothy. It starts as you develop a heart after God and start applying those truths to your life even in little spaces, so that by the time you have more space, eventually . . . unless God gives you a bunch of kids, and then it’s long time before you get space!

But take the moments you can find. It’s not so much the amount of time; it’s the direction of your heart.

Listen to the whole "talk" here.

Christmas Pics

2007-12-24T22:46:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to all!

Sorry, we never got around to sending out Christmas cards and pictures this year.

Praise The Lord

2007-12-12T22:10:00.000-06:00

I went to the O.B. today and she told me that I don't have to be on bed rest but that I can resume normal activities but not to do anything extra like working out, working in the yard, or prolonged shopping trips!

For those who don't know . . . we had a little bit of a scare. I started having contractions on Saturday when I was bringing my mom home from the hospital (of course she does not know they started then because I think it would cause her to be more stressed & cause her blood pressure to continue to rise). They slowed down when I napped that afternoon but started up as soon as I woke up from my nap. That night we started timing them while laying down and they were about 10 min apart - which was a lot slower than they had been. They went away after a few hours of laying down and then we went to sleep.

I woke up Sunday very sore but decided that we should still go to church. I took it very slow getting ready and sat most of the morning - while Clay got the girls ready. Then we went to church. I started having contractions again after walking across the parking lot and taking Micah to her class. I don't know how close together those were - but much closer than ten minutes - seems as if they were right on top of each other. We got home and Clay fixed lunch and took care of the girls while I laid down. When I was still having contractions about every ten min at around 3 we called the nurse hot line and she called the doctor on call. I was then told to report to Labor & Delivery. We spent several hours there in a labor room monitoring my contractions and the baby's heart beat. After getting some rest their they sent me home to rest for 2 days with only doing what was absolutely necessary and not being on my feet for more than 20 -30 min at a time.

So, today the doctor checked to make sure I have not dilated - which I have not. She then told me to resume normal activity and to let her know if the pain of contractions gets a lot worse or if I have any other signs of going into labor. She said the contractions were probably a result of all the stress we have had and that it is not abnormal for me to start having contractions this early with my third pregnancy. I just hope they don't continue like I've had them because my stomach and back has stayed pretty sore over the last few days. But I guess only time can tell. The baby's heart also sounds great and I am measuring right on the 25th week. So things are looking good!

Thank you to those of you have been praying for this situation - as well as for Gabriella and my mom.

Blessed With A Wonderful Husband

2007-12-11T22:26:00.000-06:00

I have a wonderful husband. God has richly blessed me through him. Clay has always been wonderful with helping take care of the girls when he is not at work. He is always thinking about putting his family before other obligations and taking care of us first. But in these last few weeks he has been such a servant in a time in which I have really needed him - and he has done it without complaining.

First I must say that the first probably three months of this pregnancy he has been such a sweetheart to bring me breakfast in be as we have tried to conquer the nausea that this pregnancy brought. Which means that he would also get up with the girls and get them breakfast on most mornings.

Clay has been such servant to
- rush to the doctors office to help me with the girls when he found out that we were in the
middle of having Gabriella tested to see what was making her so sick.
- take off while Gabriella was in the hospital to help ease the burden that was put on me.
- take off from work when he found out that my mom was having surgery.
- clean the house & take care of girls while I was at the hospital during my mom's surgery.
- take care of the girls while I took my mom home from hospital.
- he then took care of the girls most of Sunday while I tried to get some rest.
- do laundry while i have been on "bed rest" these last two days.
- clean up any dishes that we have gotten dirty.
- get the girls their baths
- help get the girls in bed.

Now, it is not unusual for him to help me out around the house. But I know these last few weeks of having a sick kid, projects winding up at work, hospital stays, and a wife having contractions at 25 weeks and being put on short term 'bed rest' has been extremely hard on him. Yet he has been a trooper and I have not really heard him complain.

God has truly blessed me with wonderful, gracious, servant of a husband.

In the Trenches of Motherhood

2007-11-29T22:47:00.000-06:00

I am exhausted.

Today makes day 6 of Gabriella running a fever from 101 - 104 and her feeling yucky (with no answers from the doc except that its something viral).

The three days prior to her getting sick we were out of town due to Thanksgiving.

Micah was sick a few days before that with a slight fever and she was extremely whinny.

I am tired . . . .

Prayers are appreciated.

Leaving A Legacy

2007-11-19T15:14:00.000-06:00

That is what it is about, right? Leaving a legacy for Christ. Not a legacy of money or fame or a good name - but one for Christ. That's why as parents we are so concerned about traditions, and teaching our kids to memorize scripture, teaching them Bible Studies, and discipling and disciplining them in the Lord. We want our children, and our grandchildren, and our grandchildren's children (all the generations that may follow after us leading up to the return of Christ (if He does not return in our life time)) to be grafted into the family of God through the blood of Christ.

Here is a link to a blog that has three videos of Dr. Voddie Bauchamn preaching about this concept. These are the best I have ever heard on the subject. I will say I love these sermons but I don't know anything about him more than what I've heard on these sermons.

They are well worth your time to listen to. I listened while preparing dinner and his sermon made me laugh at how ridiculous our society is and cry as the Lord used some of the things he said to convict me.

Memorizing Scripture

2007-11-15T23:50:00.000-06:00

In my years since having children, I have been extremely disappointed in my ability to memorize scripture. But a few months back I saw a blog about Scripture Memorization with a really neat video on a guy quoting scripture as if he was actually the one delivering the orginal sermon recorded in scripture. Read and Watch This Video - It is incredible.

I put into practice with the girls memorizing passages instead of single verses. I have really seen a difference with Micah and I being able to learn scripture. For those of you with younger children, know that Gabriella loves listening to us do this. She always gets a huge smile on her face and watches us with big shiny eyes.

Micah is also learning a lot of scripture through CBS. If you have young children and have the time to get involved in CBS - I highly suggest it. It is one of the best preschool programs that I have seen on getting kids to memorize scripture.

In the last 3-4 months Micah and I have learned these scriptures through this method. I know it does not seem like a lot - but it is a lot better than I was doing.

Ephesians 6:1-4 (Gabriella has the word "honor" down when we say this verse).

Psalm 139:14 (I know it is only one verse - but we did this because Micah seemed to be struggling with wanting to always be Gabriella and she never wanted to be herself. So we learned this verse to reinforce how special she was.)

Psalm 95:1-5 (We are trying to see how much we can get memorized before Thanksgiving. Micah and I are also trying to learn the verse before Daddy does. I am not doing as well as I would like - but Micah can just start saying parts of it - and is doing way better than I am. )

Through CBS Micah has learned many verses in the last couple of years. They put memory verses to nursery rhyme tunes. I still have to sing the song to get the scripture and verse correct, but Micah does not have to sing it - she can just say it.

Since my children can remember nursery rhymes and little songs like that with out any effort -I see it as prime time to be getting these scriptures ingrained in them. I truly see how they are little sponges soaking up anything I give them. So I want to feed them as much TRUTH as I can.

For all you Joel Olsteen fans out there

2007-11-15T22:44:00.000-06:00

I found this audio on SermonAudio.com and just loved it. It's a contrast between the preaching of Joel Olsteen and Paul Washer. It's only about 15 minutes, so enjoy...
http://playmp3.sa-media.com/media/111507142380/111507142380.mp3

Gabriella's Prayer

2007-11-14T20:35:00.000-06:00

Gabriella has been saying lately, "Mommy I pray." Then she is listing things to pray for and wants me to say thank you and say whatever she said.

But tonight it went like this:

Thank you God - Jasmine, elephants, Tigger, Colby (I was having trouble understanding what she was saying. I thought she said Cody, so I would ask her if it was Cody and she would keep repeating it over and over. I figured out that it was Colby when Micah finally translated for me. When I repeated after her Colby, she then continued.) Kennedy.

She then decided to jump and asked to get out of the bed.

It is so precious watching them learn to pray.

Christmas Traditions

2007-11-11T21:56:00.000-06:00

My friend, Jenna, has started a discussion on Christmas Traditions and Santa Cla us. Most of the discussion so far has centered around to do or not to do Santa Claus. She asked us to share our traditions - but since my response about Santa was so long, and I wanted to ask some of you what traditions you have in your homes to keep Christmas Christ - centered - I decided to do my own post on it.

Traditions in our household include:

The lighting of the Advent Candle Wreath.

Unwrapping a "present" which is a book related to Christmas every night preceding Christmas. We read the story to the kids and will talk about the book as much as they want. Some of the books are the story of Christ birth, some are legends about Santa Claus, some tell the truth about Santa, and some are just about how different families celebrate Christmas.

We give each kid three gifts to represent the gifts the three wise men brought Jesus.

Reading of the Christmas story before opening any presents.

This year we are going to try something new. We have been working on memorizing passages of scripture as a family. I have been meaning to post on this subject for several months. But starting after Thanksgiving, we will start reading the Christmas story from the Bible every night at dinner. My hopes are that Clay, Micah, and I will memorize most of it by Christmas and that Gabriella will be familiar with it. I will have to share the key that I have found to getting Micah (and me) to memorize scripture with y'all soon.

I also started this last year: I either have everything cooked by Christmas Eve or we eat a pop in the oven pizza for lunch on Christmas Day. I know it sounds silly - and even makes me sound lazy. But if I don't do this - I will spend the whole day stressing on making a big production on a meal. I then miss out on sitting still and giving thanks for the wonder of the birth of Christ and reflecting on Him. Secondly, I miss out on creating special family time with the family. It is kinda like making time stop - by not having to deal with all the normal duties - and savoring the day of Christmas.

Traditions we wish to start this year or as the kids get older.

A night of Christmas Caroling with good friends and hot chocolate.

The telling of the Christmas story on the felt board. I really need to get busy making all those pieces because I want to start this year.

Making a soft bed for baby Jesus (I have been wanting to do this with my kids for over 10 years - when I first read about someone else doing this with their family.). You set up an empty manger somewhere in the house for baby Jesus. You tell the kids that baby Jesus will need a soft place to lay when He comes on Christmas Eve. Then you all draw names of those in your family. Everyone has to secretly do kind things for that person for a week - or how ever long you decide, before you draw different names. But for every kind deed done, the person who does the deed gets to put a single piece of straw in the manager. The hope is that by Christmas it will be filled with hay for the baby that you will lay in the manager on Christmas Eve night.

The reenactment of the Christmas story - complete with makeshift costumes and stuffed animals.

What are your family traditions?

Saving Money While Cooking

2007-11-07T14:20:00.001-06:00

As we all know the prices of groceries seem to be going up, and up, and up. I am always trying to think of new ways to save money. I found this tip and thought I would share with you. I have begun using powdered milk for all baking and cooking needs. The website I found suggested using it for drinking. I could not get past the smell. I was also nearly out of milk one day before nap time so tried putting half powdered and half fresh milk together to give the girls. That did not go over well. But it is always something you could try if you would like to. On the site where I got the idea, the lady said her and her kids thought it tasted just fine.

So, though we could not stand drinking it, I have used it in cooking oatmeal, mac-n-cheese, breakfast casseroles, and breads - to name a few. I can not tell the difference and normally I can spot fake from a mile away. Potatoes for instance - I can not stand most powdered potatoes - and I can always tell that they are not the real thing. So, to make things more simple while cooking, I just keep a couple of cups of powdered milk mixed up in my fridge so that it is just as easy as reaching for the fresh stuff. Since powdered milk is half the price of the cheapest fresh milk - I think it is really worth the extra 1-2 min. it takes me to get the stuff out and mix it up. For those of you who just like to use organic - I even noticed that you can buy organic powdered milk.

Have any other ideas on how to save money while cooking? Please share with me because I am all ears.

Pictures from October Happenings

2007-11-06T22:17:00.001-06:00

Micah and Gabriella helping Daddy make an angel food cake.

Gabriella licking the spoon.

Daddy, Micah, and Gabriella with the largest pumpkin in Texas.

Mommy and Gabriella

Micah and Gabriella finding their way through a hay maze.

Refining Through Parenting

2007-11-05T23:52:00.000-06:00

I have many stories to tell about the benefits of reading to our kids from God's Word and teaching them scripture. But since I have a short time, I will share what has been on my mind tonight. I can see how God is really using parenting to refine me. We have been memorizing scripture with Micah and having Gabriella listen to them as we do so. We also try and use biblical principles in discipling them. We know that it is very important for them to understand at an early age that when they disobey it is sin. So, as we have really been working on that - especially in the last year, I am beginning to see God using that to make her more aware of sin.

Here is just one example of how God is using my children to refine me. I am sitting at lunch with the girls waiting, and waiting for them to eat. We had a really good morning - but about 15 minutes before lunch time they started having trouble sharing with each other, and Micah started having trouble speaking to me with honor and obeying me. We had several discussions as each incident would arise about her being disobedient and how that was not honoring God because she was disobeying His Word. Through those incidents and then me sitting at the table with them trying to get them to eat, I am beginning to get irritated with them. Then the following conversation occurs.

Micah asks me, "Mommy are you happy?"
I ask her "Do you think Mommy is happy?"
"No."
"Why do you think Mommy is not happy?"
"Because Mommy's not happy."
"Well, Micah Mommy was having a lot of fun with you, but Mommy does not like having to tell you over and over to obey and Mommy does not like it when you disobey."
Micah says, "Mommy, you disobey too."
"Mommy does disobey God sometimes. Do you think Mommy is disobeying God now?"
"Yes."
"How is Mommy disobeying?"
"Mommy is disobeying God because she is screaming at Micah and Gabriella."

Ouch! That was convicting. In my flesh I was really wanting to scream because I was so frustrated with correcting them over and over and discipling them and correcting them....but I was not screaming. However, what Micah picked up on was that I was not speaking in tone of love - but I was speaking in a tone that conveyed my irritation. She called me out on my sin. That is humbling to have a nearly three year old point out sin to you. I asked her if Mommy needed to pray and ask Jesus for forgiveness for being mean to them and not showing them love and also ask Jesus to help me be more patient and loving. She said 'YES.' So, I started to pray and she even prayed "Father forgive Mommy for disobeying and screaming at Gabriella and Micah."

I see such a need in my life for someone to call me out on sin. And in someways, who better than those who are with me ALL the time? They see me at my best when I am letting the Spirit reign and they see me at the worst - when I am letting my flesh reign. She knows that Mommy will always love her even if she points out where Mommy is wrong. So, though some parents may see it as disrespectful for their child to call them out on their sin - I am thankful for her childlike faith and that she is beginning to see that sin is through wrong heart attitudes and not just disobeying a direct command.

Egg Recipes

2007-10-30T12:49:00.000-06:00

We are taking Bradley classes this time with our pregnancy in order to prepare for a natural child birth. One of the things they tell you to do is to eat 2 eggs a day. I am not the biggest egg person and eating them the same way all the time gets really old. So, I found a site online that has recipes for Bed & Breakfast brunch type meals. The ones we have tried we like. I have also been choosing the ones that I can make the night before - and just pop in the oven in the mornings. It has made Clay and my mornings go much better. Hope you enjoy some of these recipes. If you have any great recipes with eggs - let us know!

Bed & Breakfast Inns Online - Recipes

Micah on the Baby

2007-10-22T23:17:00.000-05:00

'Mommy am I going to have two babies like Ellie Bellie' (a family from our church just had twins.)

'No, Micah the doctor said that there is just one baby.'

'Why?'

'Well because God only put one baby in mommy.'

'That mommy and daddy took my baby brother and now you only have one baby sister in your tummy.'

Micah starts to cry.

So, I am sure you are wondering what she is talking about when she says that the mommy and daddy took her baby brother. Let me explain. About three months ago my dad broke his ankle and had to have surgery on his leg. When we walked up to the hospital to see him in the ER, Micah said 'Yeah lets go get a baby.' We explained to her that it was not time to go get a baby and that it was inside mommy growing. We told her that it would be a long time until the baby was ready to come out. We thought she understood. After we visited with my dad, she asked to go see the babies. We told her we could just go look and see if there were any new babies. When we got to the nursery window, there was a new little baby boy that was a Mexican, with a head full of black hair, being bathed by his father. He looked very sweet, so we stood there for awhile and talked to the girls about how the baby's daddy was giving it a bath. Then they put the baby down in a bed right in front of the window. Micah's first response, 'oh no - his bottom is hurt.' We then tried to explain to her that he was okay, that he was just a boy, and little boys have different parts. After a few more minutes, the baby's father comes around to the viewing side to take pictures of his son through the window. We tell him congratulations and have Micah tell him congratulations too. Then we leave. A few days after that Micah started talking about how she was going to have a little brother. We never thought much of it - until a couple weeks later she tells Clay and I that we need to go get her baby brother from the doctor's. We told her that the baby was still in my tummy. She kept persisting that we needed to go get her baby brother from the doctor, her baby that had black hair. Then we understood that she somehow thought we were picking out our new baby when we looked through the window. So we tried to explain to her that that was not her brother, that mommy still had her baby, and it would be awhile until we had it. We also told her that the little boy that we saw at the hospital had a mommy and daddy who loved it and he went home with them. Then she started crying, 'THEY TOOK MY BABY BROTHER.' So Clay and I hope that she will not always be traumatized by the idea that we gave away her brother.

A Conversation with an 18 1/2 month old

2007-10-17T13:12:00.000-05:00

"Gabriella, do you want to go to the store with Mommy?"

"YES! No WAY!(Which when said in a high shrill and with a big smile means that's exactly what she wants.) Goats and Cows."

"Do you think we are going to go buy goats and cows?"

"Yeah!"

"No, I'm sorry but we are not going to buy goats and cows."

"Why?"(At this point I am thinking, 'Aren't you too young to be asking me that question.')

"We don't have a place to put goats and cows. They can't live in our house or in our yard."

" I WANT DADDY! DADDY! DADDY!"

"Do you think Daddy is going to buy you goats and cows?"

"NO WAY!" (Said in a high shrill and with a big smile.)

Powerful Story of Jesus' Transforming Power Through Reading of the Holy Word

2007-10-11T22:52:00.000-05:00

You gotta love Paul Washer.

Mommy is Proud

2007-10-10T15:09:00.000-05:00

At lunch today Gabriella was being a toot and refusing to eat by herself. After throwing a bit of a fit, she said 'yucky poo-poo. I potty.' I checked her diaper and it was wet - but not dirty. I debated taking her to the potty because I thought she was trying to get out of eating. But at the same time, I really want to encourage any interest she has in using the potty because I want her to get potty trained soon so that when baby comes I will only have one in diapers, and the sooner she gets going potty down - the less likely she will have a backslide as she gets adjusted to baby. So, I went ahead and took her. Of course, as soon as I set her on the potty the phone rang. Micah ran and grabbed a book for Gabriella. Gabriella sat on the potty looking at it - and she peed! This was like the 3rd time she has managed to pee on the potty. She kept sitting there while she was looking at her book, and then she pooped! This is the second time for her to poop on the potty - but the first time for her to do both during one sitting - and with her asking to get on the potty. So, of course we were going to do the poo-poo dance after she finished. Micah had to jump on the potty and go pee - so that we could also celebrate her accomplishments. We did our potty song and dance in the hall. Then it was time to battle out eating at the table. But even though a battle followed - I am so excited that she is taking more and more of an interest in going potty. I hope that she will learn quickly and be done with it. They just woke up for nap, so I need to go get them both up and I guess put panties on both of them.

Our Two Girls

2007-10-09T22:34:00.000-05:00

Slipping Modesty in Our Culture.

2007-10-05T23:24:00.000-05:00

I found a great article on the lack of modesty in our culture and the grim reality that men - and especially young boys are facing.

I know dealing with this issue of the lack of modesty and the temptations that boys/men face is one of our biggest concerns regarding raising a son if the Lord so chooses to give us one.

The following quotes were found on Guarding the Landmarks Blog

Whether girls who dress immodestly realize it or not, they are provoking men—young and old—to ungodly thoughts and committing with these men adultery of the heart.

A man today can see more flesh just taking a walk on a sunny afternoon than his grandfather could see in a Playboy magazine fifty years ago: The porn of yesterday has become the norm today. - read more

My Mommy Loves Me

2007-10-01T23:19:00.000-05:00

Clay and I were at a class tonight. When we got home our baby sitter shared that they were sitting at the table having a snack when Micah said, 'My mommy loves me because she feeds me and tucks me in at night.'

I thought it was very sweet that she said that. I am also so thankful that she knows she is a loved child. I pray that she will be able to take that sense of love and security and begin to understand how great God loves her.

Practice For A Newborn

2007-09-26T10:59:00.000-05:00

Being only 15 weeks pregnant, I was really hoping that we would not have too much of a remembrance of those sleepy nights of newborn hood until we got much closer to the arrival of the baby. But these last few days we have gotten a little bit of a reminder - and I can tell you that I am not looking forward to the part of not getting much sleep. Gabriella has been stopped up with sinuses and has been struggling to sleep. Clay and I have been going to sleep too late at like midnight and Gabriella has been waking up having trouble breathing and crying hysterically for mommy at 1 or 2 for the past few nights. I have tried rocking her and singing to her, but she is not going to sleep. If we put down in the bed, she starts crying again. So because I am so tired I have been putting her back in bed with us. Where she plays for the next hour or two. As Clay said this morning, Gabriella is the poster child of why kids should not sleep in the bed with their parents. She starts talking, and talking, and talking (which honestly I can't blame her too much - I do the same thing if I get woken up in the middle of the night - just ask Clay) and wallering, and rolling, and kicking, and jumping, and giving sweet kisses, and on, and on. She tells me all the colors she sees - over and over again. She even said, 'grarrr - I a monster.' So, though she is quiet funny - it was quiet frustrating and tiring.

BUT .....

Praise God - I started that post a few days ago - and did not finish because I was too tired, and since then she has started sleeping through the night again and feels better. So, we are getting more sleep.

Now if Clay and I could only learn to go to bed at a reasonable time again. Maybe we can forget about all the waking up in the middle of the night(well except to go pee) for a few more months.

Baby Got Book!

2007-09-22T19:44:00.000-05:00

This is just too hilarious.

Baby Got Back

-Clay

Update on Baby

2007-09-22T19:10:00.000-05:00

We went to the doctor on Thursday for an ob check up. We took the girls with us and they were able to hear the baby's heart beat. The heartbeat sounded good and everything is going well. When we got home, Micah told me that she liked my baby. As I was telling Clay about her saying that she said, 'I like your baby's heart sound.'

TEST YOURSELF

2007-09-15T20:44:00.000-05:00

This was an awesome article. I encourage you to read it.

TEST YOURSELF . . . PLEASE

REVIVAL

2007-09-14T23:50:00.000-05:00

Let's start praying and seeking the Lord for true revival to come to the church.

I encourage you to listen to the study of revival that is on REVIVE OUR HEARTS. God has been using this series in my life to bring conviction, encouragement, and strong longing to sit with the Lord.

Waiting at the Door

2007-09-11T17:00:00.002-05:00

Our precious girls waiting at the door to leave for CBS

pirates of the grocery store

2007-09-10T22:06:00.000-05:00

we were walking through appletree the other day when we walked by a man in his 60's wearing an eye patch and a fat unlit cigar hanging out of his mouth. it looked exactly like the eye patches that come with pirate Halloween costumes. micah was sitting in the basket and i was pushing her along. a few feet after passing him micah goes "is somebody tryin' to be a pirate?" trying very hard to contain my laughter i kept walking hoping that the man hadn't heard the comment. i then proceeded to explain to micah that the man's eye didn't work and he wore the eye patch to cover his bad eye. we spent a few minutes in that aisle and by the time we got to the end the man had made his way back around and crossed our path again. micah looks at him, points, and says "look, there's another one." before i could do anything the man retorts with a hearty "ARRGGGHHHH!" no longer able to contain myself i bust out laughing, red faced. it was quite clear at this point that he had heard her the first time and he seemed to enjoy playing along. as he strolled away i then told micah about how it was not nice to point and say such things. thankfully we did not end up next to him in the checkout line.

--clay

WHERE IS THE CHURCH?

2007-08-29T20:13:00.000-05:00

Sitting at lunch today, Micah asked me, ‘‘where is the church?’’ ‘‘Funny you should ask’’ I told her – ‘‘that’s what I’ve been thinking about all day. But mommy doesn’t know where the church is.’’ She points out to the street and says ‘‘there it is mommy.’’ So I tell her, ‘‘no baby, the church is not a building. The church is made of people who love Jesus. They come together, pray together, share all things, eat together, encourage one another, and love each other. That’s what the church is. It’s not a building – the church can meet anywhere.’’

So I was wondering have any of you found the church yet?

In my 18 years of being a Christian, I have yet to find “THE CHURCH." Sure, I have found buildings where there are programs and various ministries and even where people meet and eat together. But I have failed to find those who really function as the church in Acts 2. In my observation everyone is too busy playing church to be THE CHURCH. In fact, when I have walked into the churches that I have been in during that time – I have pretty much found a representation of the world. They dress like the world and are extremely cliquishly like the world. No one wants to truly share their lives. They don’t want to really share their burdens or struggles. They definitely do not want to confess their sins to others. They don’t want to be held accountable. Their dreams for themselves and kids are dreams of money, success, a good name, a good average life.

Where are the people who’s prayer for themselves and their kids looks something like this: ‘Oh, Lord, take all of me. Take all of my kids. Convict us. Changes us. Don’t let us look like the world. We beg You for Your presence. We pray for lives that are wholly abandoned unto You. God anything you want – it’s Yours. Our house, our clothes, our cars, our kids – anything just take it God. I pray that my kids will lay all of themselves at Your feet. I pray that they will follow you to the ends of the earth. Oh, God, take our lives and use them for Your glory.’

Oh, I cry out – where are the disciples of Jesus Christ? Where is Jesus’ church?

The Answer

2007-08-27T21:07:00.000-05:00

The answer to our game that no one cared to play is that it is the ages of our family now and will be the ages of our family in March.

YEAH! We are going to be blessed with another baby. We are very excited. I am now 11 weeks along. I was 10 weeks when we posted the game.

Micah keeps telling us that she wants to bring 2 babies home from the hospital. Unfortunately, the doctor said there was just one.

This information is for blog readers only. Please do not pass this information along to others who choose not to read our blog. We have another way planned to announce to them. Thanks in advance for your cooperation!

Let's Play A Game

2007-08-22T11:51:00.000-05:00

We want to play a game with you. Post your guesses as comments.

What do these numbers mean?

26 26 2 1 10

27 26 3 2 0

A Plea to the Ladies

2007-08-21T00:14:00.001-05:00

I am going to share with you something that the Lord has really been convicting me about. I in no way intend to offend anyone, but pray that the Holy Spirit will convict you, as He has me, if you need to be convicted in this area.
Modesty . . . what all does that entail? God has really shown me tremendous amounts regarding this area in my life. There have been several resources that He has used to bring conviction upon me. I highly encourage you to check these resources out. In Created To Be His Help Meet, Debi Pearl has a chapter about being chaste. She is extremely blunt about this subject in talking about what a man really sees when he looks at women & how a godly man really wants his wife to be. I think this is a must read - I wish I had this book when I was a preteen/teenager. Then I listened to Nancy Leigh DeMoss and her study on modesty. It was a great series that talked about modesty in clothing (something I have heard a lot more about growing up) & modesty in behavior. There was even one section that was a plea to the fathers on how to train their daughters on what to where and not to wear. There was also a plea to the wives to go to the husbands & say, "Dear, you know what draws a man's eyes. Help me to go through my wardrobe & glean out anything that I may wear that will cause a man's eye to linger on my body in any area that may cause him to sin."

So, here is a little of where I am coming from with great honesty. I have always tried to be modest in that I have tried not to wear clothing that is too short or too low. But as I started listening and reading about this topic that I have become more aware that I have allowed some of the fads & some of my desires of wanting to look attractive to pull me over to the side where at times I am not dressed modestly. And that is sin.

So, in Debi Pearls book she has a few letters that she & her husband have actually received from men - that if you were to read would break your heart. In one letter a guy talks about how he had to quit hanging around one of his close friends because the way his friends' wife dresses keeps him aroused the whole time he is around the couple. The husband is embarrassed
by his wife & feels dishonored by her. He says he is looking for a women who he can call to be his own little hidden treasure. So the question to you(if you are married) & me is, "Are we being our husbands own little hidden treasure - that no one else can get glimpses of?" And if you are not married, ask yourself "Am I hidding myself away so that I will be a hidden treasure for my husband one day?"

She quotes Matt 5:28 " Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Then she writes: "It is impossible for a woman to understand a man's visual drive. . . A woman's body, moving within visual range of a man, unless it is modestly covered in a way that says to the man that you have no interest in him taking pleasure in your appearance, can be stimulating to him as disrobing completely. He may be a better man than the woman....and may have the fortitude to deny his eyes . . .but it makes you a source of temptation to sin, rather than someone to whom he can relate. . . .Jesus said that a lusting man commits adultery WITH a woman, not against her, meaning that the woman is included in the lusting adultery. Women have told me that they are "not convicted" about the way they dress, as if God has to chase them down and torment them about it before they will obey his Word."

Ouch . . . God really used her words to bring conviction on me. I had always heard it was the man's sin for lusting. He was committing adultery - but not really the case. If I wear something that is too tight, short, low, etc... that causes a man to lust - I am just as guilty as he.

That made me go to Clay and say, "I know you like me to wear certain shirts that I have - but they really need to stay at home. I need you to look at what I am wearing & tell me from a man's perspective if there is anything about the clothes I am wearing to cause a man's eye to be drawn towards me."

I encourage you ladies to do the same with your husbands. Let's start really trying to protect the men.

Also, if you see me wearing something that is questionable be sister in the Lord and tell me what your concern is with what I am wearing.

I really felt prompted to share this with you because of an article I just read. I encourage you and your husbands to read it. Modest Daughters

Homemade Laundry Soap & The Wonders of Super Washing Soda

2007-08-20T22:25:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon this recipe a few months back when I was looking for different ways to save money. I found it on the CMOMB website. It has worked fabulous and was little work. I am still using the batch I made in early June & will probably need to make some more in mid-September. I think that it probably cost me about $3 total for this batch. I will be looking at more recipes that do not have chemicals such as the laureth sulfate in it. I still need to do more research there. I am all about having less chemicals in the house and in the products that we use. But the catch is that it has to be cheaper or the same price than what I am already doing - for obvious reasons for those who know how important it is to stay within a budget.

Liquid Homemade Laundry Soap (by Ruth)
1 bar Felz Napta
1 bar Ivory
1 bar Castille
1/3 bar Lirio (Mexican bar)
1 C borax
1 C washing soda
lots of drops of essential oil of your choice
6 gallon vinegar jugs or milk jugs (emptied)

Grate all bars. Melt over medium heat in about 1-2 Quarts of water. Dissolve Borax and soda in 5 gallons of water, add liquefied bars, pour hot into 1 gallon vinegar jugs (milk jugs work too) leaving about 5" at the top for shaking as they gel hard.

According to Ruth, she does about 15 loads per week and it lasts her about 4 weeks. Mine has lasted longer because I actually forgot where I was in my measuring and ended up adding double the water. But nonetheless, my clothes have still come out just as clean & bright as when I was using TIDE.

Now the question is where can you find these soaps?

I had to order the Felz Napta (though I later found it at Kroger) and the Castille from Soaps Gone Buy for $1.25 each.

You can find the bar of Ivory with your bath soaps. I found the Lirio at HEB & I am pretty sure that I saw it at Kroger.

Borax and Washing Soda Can both be found in the laundry section of most grocery stores (I was amazed to find out that Wal-Mart did not have it atleast we nor any of the workers could find it). The Washing Soda is normally next to the borax in a yellow box.

For the initial time it cost me more than the $3 dollars but once you have several bars of Ivory and the borax, lirio, and washing soda you will not have to spend as much the next time.

Now on to the washing soda. When I discovered how wonderful this stuff was - I had to wonder why no one had told me about how wonderful this stuff was. I mix a little bit in my mop bucket with water, and vinegar to mop the kitchen. It removes dirt far greater than any of the other mopping or general purpose cleaners than I have found. It is great for cleaning your bathtub. For example - I had not gotten around to my bathtub in a couple of weeks (yeah - letting
you in on that I haven't been the best housekeeper the last few weeks) and there was a lot of dirt grime stuff. I sprayed the tub down with water & then sprinkled the tub with the washing soda, and then I sprayed vinegar over the soda. I let it sit for 30 minutes or so while I cleaned up after breakfast. When I came back, I pretty much just had to wipe it away, there were a few places I had to put a little muscle behind it, but not nearly as much as I have to do with most other cleaners - even when I let them sit! Oh, and the great thing is that I spent no more than 3 dollars on a box this stuff back in June & have been able to use it for laundry and cleaning various things.

Borax also has many uses - one being that sometimes Micah will leak through on her mattress. I spritz the mattress with water, sprinkle borax, let it dry, and then vacuum it up & the odor is gone!

I have been meaning to share some of these great & cheap finds with all my friends for a while. Please feel free to share any of your money saving, less chemical ideas with me. Hope you enjoyed hearing about some of the things I wish someone would have shared with me years ago.

Newest Addition

2007-08-20T21:52:00.000-05:00

Meet Lambchop! He's a male Bichon Frise about 12 weeks. He will get between 7 & 10 pounds. He does not shed! The girls love to play with him. It is very important to Gabriella when we are praying that we pray for "puppy" and Micah chimes in with "our puppy Lambchop." It is very cute! They love him very much. We've enjoyed hearing Micah talk about him. When we first got him, Micah would sit next to him and say, "He's cute! Momma my Lambchop is so cute." She also says of him, "My puppy is beautiful." and "He's so handsome." We are so thankful that we are able to let them have a puppy to take care of and to love.

Sorry So Long

2007-08-14T16:41:00.000-05:00

We've been without a computer for a few weeks. I hope to get some pictures of some of our more recent adventures up soon. If you've emailed me - and I have not gotten back to you yet - sorry. I am working on getting to respond to everyone.
God bless!

Breakfast Prayer

2007-06-24T15:05:00.000-05:00

This morning we were running late for church- as usual. So, for breakfast I just gave the girls some dry cereal to eat and water to drink - hoping that they would atleast get something in their stomachs before church. I then left and proceeded to get dressed. Micah came running in to the bathroom and said, "Mommy, I pray with Gabriella." I said, "Good, I am glad you prayed with Gabriella." I was thinking that she had already prayed with her. But I am so thankful that she warned me that she was going to pray with her sister because it was the first time that she has actually done the praying & not just told Clay or I what to pray for. When she left the room I turned my ears on so that I could hear what interaction was taking place in the dining room. This is what I heard Micah say.

"Father, thank you eye, other eye,cheek, other cheek, mouth."

As she said that she pointed to Gabriella's body parts.

Now I must confess that there was more to her prayer . . . but I could not hear all of it & some parts I have forgotten. But nonetheless, I am so thankful to our Father that Clay and I were able to witness her first outloud prayer & even more than that - I am thankful that she knows to give God thanks for what He gives us.

As one of our friends said on their blog - please pray with your children. They are learning from you how to talk to their heavenly Father.

Prosperity Gospel

2007-06-24T15:02:00.000-05:00

Check this out!

"America' Ugly Exported Gospel"

Micah's Bible Lesson To Gabriella

2007-06-20T08:21:00.000-05:00

This morning when Gabriella joined Micah and I in the bed as I was finishing up my Bible time - I decided it was time to put my Bible up - in fear that with the girls wrestling in the bed it would get torn up. Micah had been looking at and "reading" my Bible. So, when I told her that it was time to put Mommies Bible up - she said, "I want my Bible." She got off my bed, ran into her room, ran back into my room with her little pink Bible, and then climbed back in the bed. Micah then says to Gabriella who is crawling around on the bed, "Gabriella, I read Bible to you." Gabriella sits still across from Micah and looks at Micah reading the Bible. Micah flips through the pages of the Bible - finds a page she wants to "read" from and then "reads" the following to Gabriella:
"Paul said ... died on cross."

She then closed the Bible and they started stacking pillows with each other.

Lord Jesus, I pray that my little girls will always love to read Your Word. I pray that they would hide Your Word in their heart, and even at such a young age that they would know that we are to live accordiing to the Bible, which would bring them to an understanding of their sin & therefore their need for You as a forgiving Saviour. Lord, we cry out that our girls would find Salvation in You.

Biblical Womanhood

2007-06-17T22:45:00.000-05:00

It seems as if the Lord is really trying to teach me more about this in my life. I encourage all of you ladies to listen to a study by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I have truly been challenged by her series on being a biblical woman. Enjoy and let me know what you think & how the Lord is challenging you!
Biblical Womanhood Series

Our plans vs. God plans

2007-06-08T08:04:00.000-05:00

Although God has greater plans for us than we do, His plans often look smaller than ours. We want to win the world; He wants to conform us to the image of His son." ~ Paul Washer

Americans & Unbelief

2007-06-07T08:26:00.000-05:00

. . . I have come to see that many evagelical Christians do not really believe the Word of God, especially when it talks about hell and judgment. Instead, they selectively accept only the portions that allow them to continue living in their current lifestyles . . .If we knew the horrors of the potential judgment that hangs over us - if we really believed in what is coming - how differently we would live. Why are Christians living in disobedience to God? Because of their unbelief." ~K.P Yohannan in "Revolution in World Missions"

A Trip to The Fair

2007-06-05T15:34:00.000-05:00

We went to the fair to watch Payton show his goats. He did a great job handling his goats. As exciting as getting to watch their Uncle Payton - the girls really loved all the sights of the fair. Micah was very excited to get to pet a pig, a cow, and a goat. Gabriella was excited about petting a cow - but much more reserved with the rest of the animals. When we first got the the fair there was a clown with her little monkey. The girls really enjoyed seeing the monkey & we were able to take a few cute pictures of them with the monkey. When Gabriella first saw the monkey she started pointing repeatedly saying, "Baby! Baby!"

In this last picture the clown had given the monkey a peanut as an attempt to get her to look at me with the camera. As she was eating her peanut, she was dropping the shell - which Gabriella tried to pick up and eat!

Micah really wanted to pet a pig. PePaw helped her find a pig to pet.

Gabriella with Aunt Shan

Just a Great Quote

2007-05-30T00:21:00.000-05:00

The Bible calls debt a curse and children a blessing; but in our culture, we apply for a curse and reject blessings. Something is wrong with this picture."
~ Doug Phillips

The Great Tragedy of Our Day

2007-05-30T00:17:00.000-05:00

The great tragedy of our day is that the Church has been swept up in the birth control ethic, with its selfish quest for convenience, comfort, and the self-deceiving vision of the individual’s control over his own destiny. The fact is that we have lost our love for children and our vision to be fruitful, multiply, and have dominion over the earth. The results have been devastating.

In fact, many Christians are unaware that they are not only engaging in an unbiblical practice of preventing “blessings,” but that some of the very practices they embrace have abortifacient consequences. How sad to think that someday we will get to Heaven and learn of the untold millions of children that were inadvertently aborted by their Christian parents — all because of lack of faith and ignorance. “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” I have a simple thesis: Hollywood is not the primary problem in the battle for our families. Neither do Wall Street, nor Madison Avenue, have any more power over our households than that which we grant to them. The problem is not the media. The problem is not Planned Parenthood. The problem is not the “liberal elite.” The problem is us.

We are the problem. And judgment must begin with us. As long as we continue to abort our babies, or cut off our seed, or abandon our children to the world, we can never expect blessing and joy within our households, let alone our culture. As long as we view children as a burden, we will not experience the victory of multi-generational faithfulness. Judgment begins first in the House of God. That means us. We must actively seek to bring forth legions of children for the glory of God. We must be willing to bless future mothers with the very words given to Rebekah: “May you be the mother of thousands of millions, and may your seed possess the gate.”
- Douglas W. Phillips

Health & Wealth

2007-05-27T23:09:00.000-05:00

Health and wealth gospel dishonors Christ, since any gospel that is more true in America than China is not the true gospel." - Randy Alcorn in The Treasure Principle

Sisterly Love

2007-05-23T15:24:00.000-05:00

Micah's Imagination

2007-05-23T15:06:00.000-05:00

Micah has definitely developed an imagination. We have all kinds of adventures in our home. Sometimes we chase tigers until we catch their tails. We see pink monsters. Stars in the grass at night. We pretend that we are other family members at the dinner table. Clay and I have been so amazed at her imagination. We try to encourage it by imagining with her, but we have found it to be so much harder than it was when we were children.

Today I managed to capture a couple of her "imagining moments."

First Micah put this blanket over my head and said, "Mommy is Mary." She then took the blanket and put it on her head and said, "I am Mary."

Micah loves playing in the sand. After a few minutes of being in the sand, she walked over to me and said, "Mommy, I drank milk!"

Gabriella is a Climber

2007-05-23T14:42:00.000-05:00

She has been climbing for a while. But here are a few pictures to show you some of her climbing attempts.
She loves to climb on this bench and try and figure out how she can get out of the fence. I pray that it will be a long time until she figures it out.

Gabriella now loves to climb on top of her sisters bed, so she can play on the bed. She has successfully made it all the way on the bed once. In this picture she is screaming, "Stuck" which is what she now says anytime she is somewhere that she does not want to be.

But I must say - these are tame to some of her adventures. She climbs all the way up the slide. I have seen her try to climb the wall to look out the window. She now climbs onto the toilet. She climbs up all stools - regardless if her sister is on there or not.

I have to just pray for her safety and trust that God has her in His Hands because I am not always quick enough to catch her. Besides, if I did not just trust God with her - I think that all that worrying for her safety would have driven me to mental hospital by now.

"My Shirt Got Wet Last Week"

2007-05-21T22:15:00.000-05:00

Today, Micah went out to play in her sandbox. I went outside to make sure that there was nothing in the yard that was going to harm her, and then came back in to do some dusting. After a few minutes, I looked up to see a completely nude little girl slowly making her way to the back door. I asked her what she was doing, and she told me her clothes got wet. So, I went to the sandbox to pick up her clothes and put them back on her because I knew she was going to continue to get her clothes wet while she played in the wet sandbox. When I picked up the shirt, I decided it was too wet - she apparently found a toy that had some water in it and spilled it all over her. So, I started to head inside to get her some dry clothes and she tells me, "My Shirt got wet last week."

Now, I must clue you in on that is how she expresses past tense. Previously, when she would say, "last week" it at least was something that happened several hours previously - not just two minutes before. But then later today, her past tense lingo changed once again. After Micah and Gabriella had their nap today, Micah told me "Gabriella poo pooed last year." What she was really telling me was that Gabriella had poo pooed after lunch. There had just been about four hours from the time Gabriella had a BM till Micah wanted to reflect upon it - so in her little world four hours is equivalent to last year and two minutes ago is equal to last week.

A Great Sermon

2007-05-20T21:27:00.000-05:00

This was the best sermon that Clay and I have heard in a long time. Listen to it if you get a chance. The sermon is by Paul Washer.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/play.asp?ID=52906154239&sourceID=gcc

Concentric Circles of Witnessing?

2007-05-16T22:11:00.000-05:00

You've probably heard of the concentric circles theory when it comes to witnessing to people. The theory comes from Acts 1:8 which says "...but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

‘Jerusalem’ represents home, family and close friends, where you live and where you are well-known. ‘Judea’ represents your kind of people, people of your faith, culture, language and basic outlook on life. ‘Samaria’ represents cultural, racial and religious diversity. The ‘ends of the earth’ represents global or cross-cultural mission, going to areas that are geographically isolated, with different languages, cultures and religions to your own.

As I was reading this verse I really felt God telling me that there was something else to this verse; that Jesus wasn't telling the apostles His concentric circles theory for witnessing to the lost.

Who was in Jerusalem when Jesus told His disciples this?
Jesus and His disciples, as well as thousands of other devout Jews, were in Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. They came to worship God for delivering their fathers from Egypt.

What are the regions of Judea and Samaria?
Judea is the inheritance that was given to the descendants of Judah and Benjamin. Samaria is the inheritance given to the other 10 tribes of Israel. Samaria is also a large city built by King Omri of Israel. Multiple kings of Israel made the city of Samaria their home, effectively making it the capitol of Israel. Now you must remember that Judah and Israel are two separate "countries" at this point. They split after the reign of Solomon. Because Solomon worshiped other gods (1Kings 11:31-40) God created two countries, Judah to preserve the line of David on the throne and Israel, the rest.

The remotest part of the earth?
The remotest part of the earth represents everyone who is not of the physical descendants of Abraham, i.e. gentiles, barbarians, etc.

So what?
Reread Acts 1:8 with this historical context in mind.

"...but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." - Acts 1:8 NASB

Did you notice that Judea and Samaria are not separated by a comma, but are treated as one. Go to Jerusalem then Judea and Samaria and after that go to even the remotest parts of the earth. Now read the following scripture:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." - Romans 1:16

Jesus did not lay out a plan for concentric circle witnessing, but a plan to witness to the Jews first, then to the Gentiles. This was very evident in Paul's ministry as he went from town to town, first going to the synagogue then preaching to the rest of the town. God has such a heart for the Jews because they are His chosen people.

So what's wrong with the concentric circle theory?
Too many times Christians have abused this verse and used it to not get out of their comfort zone. "I don't need to witness to people across the world because there's people in my neighborhood who aren't Christians." "I witness to people at my work by trying to do a good job, I'm not comfortable with going to the ghetto and actually telling people about Christ."

The following is an excerpt from a newsletter I received from the mission group Gospel for Asia.

"Hardwar is a holy city on the Ganges River, not far from the more famous city of Varanasi( or Benares). Hundreds of thousands of Hindus travel there every year from all over the world to bathe in the river's "holy" waters. Police estimate that 35 million people come to Hardwar's "Kumbh Mela" festival, which takes place for two weeks every 12 years. These millions believe that taking a ritual bath in the Ganges will wash away all their sins.

"One day while Brother Varghese, a native missionary, was walking through the packed throngs of people at the water's edge, he saw a young woman crying uncontrollably. She was beating her chest with her fists as she wailed in grief.

"With compassion, the native missionary knelt down and asked what was wrong.

"'The problems in my home are too many and my sins are heavy on my heart, so I offered the best I have to the goddess Ganges, my firstborn son,' she said.

"At that, Brother Varghese began telling her about Jesus, about how He loved her and her baby, and that through Him her sins could be forgiven.

"'I have never heard that before,' she replied through her tears. 'Why couldn't you have come 30 minutes earlier? If you had, my child would not have died.'"

This story breaks my heart. There are MILLIONS of people on the other side of the world DYING AND GOING TO HELL! EVERYONE in America has heard the name of Jesus. I'm not saying that we should not witness here in the U.S.

"In 2003, conservative and evangelical denominations gave 2.6 percent [of their income] (about three cents per dollar), with the liberals giving only 0.9 percent [of their income] (one cent). The combined average for overseas work is about two pennies per dollar...Where is the money going?...the numbers demonstrate an increased emphasis on internal operations over the broader mission of the church." - http://www.worldmag.com/articles/11176

If you can't or are not willing to go yourself then consider giving money to mission organizations such as Heart of God Ministries (www.hgm.org) or Gospel for Asia (www.gfa.org). If you can't afford to give any more money than you already are then get involved in your church and convince your local body to give more money to foreign missions. If you are not able to do that then please PRAY for the lost. They are dying, dying, dying.

Clay

Micah's Memory Verse

2007-05-16T20:55:00.000-05:00

We have been working on helping Micah to memorize scripture. There are several parts of scriptures with the reference that she has learned through the songs that she learned at CBS. But for the last few months we have been working on teaching her Ephesians 6:1. She is very affectionate about it being her memory verse. I was very excited tonight when I asked her to tell me her memory verse and she immediately said, "Children, obey your parents..." she needed to repeat the rest after me - but it is exciting to see that she is starting to memorize scripture.

Pictures

2007-05-05T15:06:00.000-05:00

We are going to put up a few pictures from the past few months of the girls. Sorry we've been so bad about sending them out before. But now maybe everyone who wants to see will get a chance to look.

Micah Turns Two

Daddy and Gabriella

Micah, Gabriella, and Mommie playing the piano

Say, CHEESE!

Humility

2007-05-05T14:18:00.000-05:00

God has really been teaching me a lot lately. There will probably be many small posts explaining the many lessons that He has been teaching me. A lot of this started a few months ago when we were looking at Paul and his humility as we studied Acts during CBS (Community Bible Study). In Acts 20:19 Paul is saying farewell to the elders of the church in Ephesus. He is talking about how he served in Asia, and he says, "serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews." One of our questions in the Bible Study was to explain what Paul meant when he stated that he served the Lord with "great humility." So, I decided to look up the word humility. Humility = the quality or state of being humble. Humble = to destroy the power, independence, or prestige of self.

When I read the definition of that, it really hit me how I was so far from being humble. In fact, I realized that I was very selfish. I realized that I had been complaining, having self pity parties, and in my soul longing for "freedom." Freedom to go to the store and get everything on my shopping list before it was time for someone's nap or bed time. Freedom to go to the bathroom without someone either in the bathroom with me or pounding on the door screaming, "MaMa or Mommie." I wanted to have freedom to go to the store and buy something with out having to worry about whether it was in the budget or whether it was a wise purchase." I even wanted freedom to be involved in more church ministry - but felt negatively towards my kids because they prevented me from doing more ministry. My list could go on and on and on. But what I began to realize is that I was being extremely selfish. I kept saying that I should have the right to have time by myself and even a right to spend money on something that I just wanted to. The Lord started showing me what I was missing was the freedom I had during college, when I had more independence - before a husband and before kids. So, I needed to allow God to destroy the independence of self (or in my case the longing for that). God reconfirmed to me that my husband and children are a blessing from Him. They have been put in my life to help mold me into a more humble person - to help aide in the process of me becoming more like Christ.

Pray for me as I allow God to move me more and more towards humility.

Obedience

2007-05-04T23:16:00.000-05:00

I've been reading through 2 Chronicles and the Lord has really been teaching me about obedience. Chapter after chapter, Kings and Chronicles give accounts of kings who seek after the Lord and are blessed by Him, while kings who forsake Him are destroyed.

2 Chronicles 16:9a really stuck out to me which says "For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."

I whole heartedly know that by seeking the Lord I will not necessarily be blessed financially or with good health. This is VERY evident in the lives of such great men of faith as any of the apostles, Stephen, Charles Spurgeon, Hudson Taylor, thousands of missionaries who have gone to foreign countries giving their lives to God and surviving only by God's grace, and on and on. But I do know as Phillipians 4:6-7 says "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." And James 4:7-8 "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts you double-minded."

This has been very evident in my own life. As I have sought the Lord He has allowed me to find Him, but when I stop He withdraws. I've been struggling for sometime trying to juggle a wife, kids, a job, church, and seeking the Lord. Shala and I have really been trying of late to rise early and seek the Lord and I can already feel Him drawing near to me and teaching me. It has been an incredible blessing and I ask for your prayers to have the strength and determination to persevere in this area.

Clay

Our princess

2007-05-04T22:51:00.000-05:00

Micah loves princesses. She has two sets of princess pjs & a princess umbrella. If it is princess - she wants it. Micah tells us that she is our princess & likes to dress up as one. She loves to play in the closet in our room. Today, I had the bedroom door closed. She started pointing to the door saying, "Oh no, My princess closet."

True to being a princess - she does not like to get dirty. She is always ready to wash stuff off her hands. She especially does not like mud on her feet. If she gets mud on her feet, she will cry to come take a bath. Not at all like her sister.

Reading in a basket

2007-05-04T22:36:00.000-05:00

Gabriella loves to read. She takes after her "MaMa" and her "Peepaw." She will spend 45 minutes pulling all the books out of the basket in her room or off the shelf in her sister's room. Then she will intently look at one book. When she is done looking at it, she throws it over her shoulder and then moves to the next book. It is not uncommon for her to come walking in to me with a book saying, "MaMa book!" When I sit down, she will squeal and then fall into my lap so we can read her chosen book.

A Trip to Grandma's

2007-04-22T23:20:00.000-05:00

We drove out west to visit Grandma this weekend. We really enjoyed getting to visit with her. The girls had an absolute blast. If Micah was not sleeping on the way there she was saying, "I want to go to Grandma's." Gabriella and Micah both loved playing and exploring in Grandma's house. Gabriella especially loved getting all of the books off of Grandma's shelves to look through them. Micah really loved going to into the basement to play. She would tell Clay and I that she wanted to go "upstairs" - which meant she wanted to go to the basement. It is a blessing to get to spend time with Grandma and to learn from her. I am also so thankful that my girls are getting a chance to know her. I hope that they will always remember the fun they had at Grandma's - just like my sisters and brothers remember the fun we had when we went to Grandma and Grandpa's.

Below are some pictures of the girls playing in Grandma's beautiful yard.

Here you see Micah and Gabriella wrestling. This is a very common occurence among our two sweet girls.

The world would like to welcome us to the 21st century

2007-04-18T22:11:00.000-05:00

Well, we have finally jumped on ye olde band wagon and created a blog, now if only someone will read it...

clay