Perfect

Ever have a picture that perfectly captures how much you love someone and why? This is mine. My boy. Wow! My heart overflows with love for him just looking at this. Be blessed and enjoy your kids today!

Marcus' Birthday

Marcus turned one. Here is a glimpse into his birthday.

Happy Birthday to You

Not too sure about cake.

Alright it's good.

Too Good

Opening Gifts

Why won't they sit still for a picture?

That's better. Happy Birthday Marcus!

Good Times with Old Friends

On Friday my parents came in for a visit for Marcus' 1^st birthday. Their visit happened to overlap with some good friends from our last base.

It is amazing how life goes on when you are away. I know my kids grow and change, but how quickly these things take place is evident when you see people you haven't in 2 ½ years. The last time I saw my friends their boy was not even two and there wasn't even a thought about having a daughter.

I am so blessed to have been able to get to visit with our friends again. I wish I could see all of our friends again.

Changing Seasons

Tomorrow my baby turns 1. This is something that is so very bittersweet for me. I am so incredibly blessed to have been given 1 full year of love, laughter, crying, frustration, laughter (I said that already I know), snuggling and playing. The first year goes by so fast doesn't it? It seems like no matter how hard I try to slow time down to fully enjoy every second of it, time slips away in the blink of an eye. This has been the most interesting first year of all three of my children's lives. First the Post Partum depression really affected my ability to enjoy my older two children during the first few months before my diagnosis. Then my husband decided that it was time for our family to be complete and had a vasectomy. I was extremely opposed to his decision and had to constantly take this to God. God made it clear to me that he is sovereign and that he guides Jeff for the best our family regardless of my feelings. That gave me peace and now brings me to the end of this season of life, baby season.

It is hard to believe I will never carry another baby in my belly, nurse, bathe or simply just smell my own newborn again. If I dwell on it too long I could become disappointed, but rather now is the time to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter for our family. We are moving forward into a life not tied down with napping and nursing schedules, that can include more time going on adventures (whether they be family walks or vacations), that we can all participate in. Already all of the kids can play together nicely (for the most part) and as they become less and less dependent on me I am going to have to find satisfaction in their new independent accomplishments.

Now it is time to fully embrace the new season of life that I am in, child training season.

"Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it."
~ Proverbs 22:6

"Fathers do not provoke your children to wrath,
but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
~Ephesians 6:4

Evidence of Change

by: Nancy Leigh DeMoss

"Come on, kids. I really want you to eat your vegetables. You want to grow big, don't you?"

When a child is growing, you usually don't see evidence of it day by day. But eventually, you do notice.

"That's strange. It seems like none of your pants fit anymore. Have you had a growth spurt?"

The same is true of spiritual growth. From day to day, it might not seem like you're getting much out of God's Word. Sometimes it will seem like you're forcing down vegetables. But if you keep it up, you'll look back over months or years and see how the Word has shaped and molded your life and how you've grown.

"Come here, sweetie; let's measure you here on the doorway. Wow! Look how much you've grown!"

Some days the words of Psalm 119 will seem especially real: "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Other days will be more difficult. But if you're faithful, you'll be sure to see long-term results.

Online Book Study - Interested?

So, there is a book I want to read, but I don't have a lot of time to get out of the house for discussions. I was hoping that maybe I could get together a "book club" of sorts online. We could read a chapter a week and post what we gleaned from it and how we are going to apply it. Would anyone be interested?



The first book will be

Biblical Womanhood in the Home
By Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Contributor Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Published by Good News Publishers, 2002
ISBN 1581343604, 9781581343601
192 pages.

Biblical Womanhood in the Home.

I was thinking we could start September first. Here is a blurb about the book:

Biblical Womanhood in the Home
Decades ago the modern feminist movement began to take root and change not only society's ways and beliefs, but eventually the church's as well. Now women across generational lines are seeing the poisoned fruit of that revolution. They have forfeited the beauty and wonder of their distinctive makeup and calling as women, and no one has been left untouched--families, churches and our lost world have suffered as a result. There is now a new movement spreading its seeds--seeds of hope, humility, obedience, and prayer. It is a call to return to biblical womanhood and it is resonating in the hearts of Christian women everywhere.Nancy Leigh DeMoss has brought together the powerful messages of seven respected teachers, including Susan Hunt, Mary A. Kassian, Carolyn Mahaney, Barbara Hughes, P. Bunny Wilson and Dorothy Patterson. They approach the subject of biblical womanhood from different angles and teaching styles, but there runs a thread throughout--one that will instill itself in the reader's heart--a thread of joy and delight with the greatness of God's created order and the part women play in His grand, redemptive plan.

If you are interested leave me a comment so we can get an idea of how many there will be. Looking forward to growing with you!

Homemade Pita Chips - An Addicting Snack

My friend Shalana (who really needs to start her own blog :P) gave me some tips on healthy and frugal foods and my ABSOLUTE favorite was homemade pita chips. It is simple and easy!

What you need: Pita bread (I highly recommend whole wheat, but my husband won't eat it),Olive Oil, Pepper,Garlic Powder, Salt (Kosher is perfect for this!)

I tear the bread into "chip" pieces and spread it on a baking sheet.

Then drizzle with olive oil (not like this picture, I can not drizzle and photograph at the same time). I just use enough to coat the bread, approx. 1-2 tablespoons. Toss around by hand (very technical huh?)

Once coated with olive oil generously sprinkle on garlic powder, pepper, and salt (I really like salt :S). Toss by hand again.
Then, and here is where my recipe varies from my friend's, Place your soon-to-be-chips under your broiler for 3 minutes. After that take out and flip, then broil for another two - or until golden brown and crunchy.

If you are afraid of your broiler then you can preheat your oven to 400 degrees while prepping your chips and then bake on each side for 5 minutes. I am not that patient.

And here is the finished product. Have you ever seen so many pictures of bread?
These go great with hummus!!!! MMMMM... hummus!
Anyway, I read blogs all the time with photos of their favorite foods and it really makes me want to try them. Since these chips are so delicious I thought I would try to entice you to try them with some pics.

Wake Up Call

This morning God decided to give me a reminder that has moved my heart so much I feel compelled to share.

"In the beginning you laid the

foundations of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

They will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

Like clothing you will change them

and they will be discarded.

But you remain the same,

and your years will never end."

~Psalm 102:25-27

Do you lose sight of the fact that this world is temporary and that not just our possessions, but one day all of it will be gone? I do.

"The mountains melt like wax before

the Lord,

before the Lord of all the earth."

~Psalm 97:5

"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people out you be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat." ~2 Peter 3:11-12

We need to let go of our worldly ambitions and start living in light of the fact that one day none of this will matter! Only what we have done that has eternal value. God created all of the beauty around us and one day he will take it away, but he will endure FOREVER. Lets live today with the goal of impacting eternity and the reality that this world really is temporary – not just our lives will come and go, but the whole earth!

First Family Vacation

Jeff and I have been married for six years, have 3 kids, and the last vacation we took was our honeymoon. We get away to California often to visit family, but had not done a vacation with just our little family. So Jeff took the week off and we drove down to Ocean Shores, WA. It is a quiet little beach town.

At first we were a little disappointed. The beach was not what we expected. The wind was freezing and stung our faces. On the first day we spent 5 minutes collecting shells and heading back to our hotel. We had ridiculous expectations – we were hoping for San Diego weather about 2,000 miles north. Silly us!

The second day was a lot more fun. We went to a state park and played for hours. There were starfish everywhere and lots of shells. We ate a picnic lunch and then went back to our room for a nap. Once everyone was rested we went for a swim (something the big kids and Jeff had done the day before while I let Marcus snooze).

Day three we walked to the beach, our hotel overlooked the ocean and it was only a 3 minute walk. Jeff, Jayelyn and Landon even played (only up to their knees) in the water for awhile. Marcus of course needed a nap, so we found ourselves back in the room snoozing again for a few hours. NOT that I am complaining, a quiet nap while snuggling my baby was a much cherished time for me.

One of the days we made an ice cream stop and checked out the local shops.

Overall it was a blast. One for memory! I look forward to carving out the time to take more mini-family-vacations in the future.

4 Years Ago

On August 6, 2004 I had gastric bypass surgery. For those of you who do not know what that is, I had my stomach cut down to the size of an egg. I was cut from breastbone to belly button, the surgery took approximately 45 mins to perform, and about 2 weeks to recover.

The day I went in I weighed 253lbs.

Today I weigh.. yes I will tell you.. 160lbs.

At my lowest I have was down to 148, but since Marcus I have a few pounds to lose. I have to say that this was the BEST decision that I could have made for myself. If you have ever struggled with morbid obesity you would understand how life changing this is. I am grateful to God for the amazing results I have had.

Am I perfect? No. Am I at my ideal weight? No. Do I like the way I look naked? No. But I can go out in public and feel normal. To be normal is something I try very hard not to take for granted. If you have any questions ask away.