Busy December!

I can't believe that this month is practically gone! It has truly been a whirlwind! We had so much going on and I am so glad we made it through!

Josh and I had our 10th anniversary on December 12th! It was wonderful! I am amazed that we have been through what we've been through in 10 years! Some bad, some seemed worse, but all in all, absolutely wonderful and I wouldn't change a thing!! I never thought that we would have 4 children! Some days it still seems so surreal. I love it, though. I am definitely doing what God made me to do. I am so thankful that He trusted me with FOUR little blessings!

Josh and I had a wonderful anniversary. He surprised me with having my wedding ring reset and an anniversary band. Then we went with some of our closest friends on a golf weekend to Tapatio Springs. It was fantastic!!! We played 27 holes in one day, and that's huge for me. My mom came and kept the kids the entire weekend. Preparing for that was tough though, because not only was I getting myself packed, I was trying to get things lined up for my mom and plan a "Winter" party for Lainie's first grade class. (which I missed by going out of town.) I really had more on my plate than I could handle. I managed through it and had 2 nights of uninterupted sleep. It was great!

I finally got all of the Christmas shopping done, but didn't get it wrapped until Christmas eve...AFTER the kids went to bed. Needless to say...we were up til 1 a.m. Natalie decided to wake up at 1:35 a.m. and kept me up for an hour, and then Noah was up at 5 a.m. I was dead tired Christmas morning, but it was still so much fun! Both of our families came into town from Plainview and Amarillo. We had a great time with them. The only problem was that the time flew by! It always does when you are enjoying yourself. I cherish the time I get to spend with my family!!!

To top things off...in the past 3 weeks, Natalie has started holding the bottle all by herself (YEA!), sitting up by herself (YEA! YEA!) and is trying to get up on her knees! She just turned 6 months old! She loves being able to sit up in the bath tub with Landri now. Now if I could just get her to sleep through the night!!

Well, that's pretty much it for December. I can't wait to see what 2009 brings! I hope that it is a wonderful year for all who read this! Blessings to you all!

My little Landri!

Landri is constantly making me smile, laugh, pull my hair out and raise my voice. She is such a two year old!!!!! Yesterday, though, was something else. I think she was bored, because she was in to EVERYTHING!!!! Literally!!!!! She gets into my purse and eats my gum. She gets into the markers and decides to write on herself, or as she calls it..."I cuyered, Mommy!" To top it off though, while I am on the computer, she comes in and says...."Mommy, I eat keys!!!" I am trying not to freak out and I calmly ask her to show me what she ate. So, she brings me a 1 pound block of Kraft American cheese that she had bitten a hole through the wrapper and started eating. Whew! Thank goodness it wasn't keys! Had it not been so unbelieveably cute...I would have gotten on to her for taking bites out of this large block of cheese.

Anyway...this is a short post today, because I have more on my plate today than I can manage. I just wanted to share some of Landri's little moments! Plus, I have BUNCO tonight!! It's MOMMY NIGHT!!!!!

Sharing my heart!!

It was a good morning this morning! I woke up with a great attitude! I may be getting started a little later than I wanted to, but that's okay! I have a plate full of things I need to get done today, but it's been nearly a month since I have blogged anything. I want my focus to be on the things God wants from me today. I want the things that I do to bring glory to Him! I friend of mine sent me this YouTube video, and I thought this is something I want to share with anyone who hasn't seen it. I am not sure how old it is, but that's not the point. This precious child amazed me and the message is something everyone MUST hear!!!



God sent His OWN Son to die for us! We need to share this! People need to know that God loves them! There are some friends of mine who are on my mind all the time. They don't go to church and I know that I need to invite them! Why haven't I? I don't want them to think I think less of them because they don't go. I don't want them to think that I am judging them! I love them to pieces!!!!!!! I NEED TO BE BOLD AND JUST DO IT! Would you pray for me that I might have the words to ask them without offending? I need to lay this fear at the feet of Jesus and do what He has called me to do! This has been weighing on my heart for sometime!

My BUSY Schedule!

I am just now getting a chance to check and return emails, phone calls, pay bills...etc. It has been an incredibly busy week! Natalie and I were both under the weather. My parents were in town, and I didn't really get to enjoy them being here. They asked to take Landri back to Plainview with them, which was great! I thought I was going to get so much accomplished while she was gone since that meant I would just have one baby at home then. I had plans to get caught up on laundry after falling WAY behind and plans to finish up baby thank you notes that I'm even more that WAY BEHIND on! I hope that it doesn't sound like I blame my precious almost 2-year-old Landri for not being able to do things, because that's not where I was heading. However, it was much quieter and a little easier with just a 4 month old. I missed Landri terribly. It's just that I set my expectations of myself too high most days. I want to do so much that I end up being disappointed. Needless to say, neither one of those things was finished. All because I didn't feel well. Now, Mom and Landri are back, and I am so glad!!!!! Landri is my little sunshine, and she just brightens up my day!

However, this is how the week has been. Monday was spent getting Landri ready for her first day of preschool at our church! (She is going to Mother's Day Out! YEA!!!!!) Then I picked up Noah and Lainie after school, and Mom and I took ALL FOUR to the mall to shop for shoes! Needless to say, we were all wiped out after buying 6 pairs of shoes. But, that's what happens, I've discovered, when you have FOUR kids! Tuesday was great. Landri went to "school" like a pro! She had her monkey nap mat, monkey lunch bag, diaper bag and of course her "tassy" (paci). She was so ready to go, that I could only snap two pictures because she was ready to go inside. It was really cute. Then Mom and I spent the day trying to prepare for a MOPS fundraiser, in which, Mom has a booth and is selling baby blanket sets with burp rags and bibs. Then it was time to get Landri from school, Noah and Lainie from school and take Lainie to ballet. To top it off, I still had to go to the grocery store and SAM'S Club for stuff for Josh's 40th birthday party. Meanwhile, Mom is at home trying to help with Noah's homework, help me with laundry and take care of Natalie. (I took Landri with me to ease the load.) Needless to say, again, we were WIPED OUT! However, today, takes the cake! If I could pack it full with things to do, I did. How I am still awake at almost 11 pm is beyond me. I started out at 4:30 this morning, so that I could make a 5:15 AM spin class. That is something I have never done before, but wanted to try! It was awesome, by the way, but I'm totally paying for it now!! Then I had to come home, make breakfast, lunches and get kids dressed and Lainie's hair done for school. Not only that, but I had to be there for an 8 am yearbook committee meeting. Then, I had Landri scheduled for her 2-year pictures, but that schedule went out the window, since she was up at 5:45 this morning. So, we had to do pictures sooner that we had planned in order to accomodate a soon to be tired toddler. Pictures went perfect, which was a pleasant surprise! Then we ate a quick lunch and put Landri and Natalie down for naps. I then had to pick Noah and Lainie up from school early in order to make our 4:30 appointment for the kids' Christmas pictures. I figured that with naps, I would have 2 chipper babies. We made it to the appointment on time, which in itself, speaks volumes, because we are never on time! However, here is where my expectations were set too high. Landri refused to smile or stand still for that matter. Mom and I were jumping around like weirdos, trying to make Landri smile. Everything she did while taking pictures this morning, she did the opposite of this afternoon. It was really out of character for her. Natalie, although happy as a lark, spit up EVERYTHING we had just fed her ALL over her new Christmas outfit! Not just once either, but 5 times!!! Again, by the time we made it through our 2nd round of pictures for the day, Mom and I were exhausted, to say the least. By the time pictures were ready, all the kids were fussing, crying, complaining, you name it! I still had to get gas, because I was on empty, get through rush hour traffic, figure out something for dinner and try to make it to choir rehearsal. I must be out of my mind, right? Well, I didn't make it to choir, but at least we made it through Chicken Express, bathtime and bedtime!

How, you ask?????

I have told you all this because, I can only say that it was by the grace of God and the help of my precious mother, that I was able to maintain a good attitude (with only a stumble here and there!) But, I still, even after a busy day like today, (and it's only Wednesday) I couldn't be happier! I love my life, my husband and my children. I wouldn't want it any other way! I know that I have been blessed and I AM truly thankful! I can't say that I have had the best attitude the whole time this week, but I know God is trying to teach me not to try to be Superwoman and actually focus on the really important things. I know I can handle my day better when I give my first fruits to Him! That is something that I am working on right now, "tithing my time". It is very hard for me to do that, but even when I fail at it, I still feel that desire to spend that time with Him, even if it means while I'm taking a shower! Pretty awesome to think that I can call upon His Name and praise Him even in the shower!!!

America chose!

Even though I am truly saddened by the election results, I am told by the Word of God that I am to obey the governing authorities. I woke up this morning with a horrible attitude. I did not want to accept the outcome, and it made my stomach churn at the thought of what our new president will change in our country. However, two of my friends have pointed out the 13th chapter in the book of Romans.

Romans 13
Submission to the Authorities
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Love, for the Day is Near
8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet,"[a] and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."[b] 10Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.[c]

I have a complete attitude change after reading this!!! Because I want to glorify and honor my Lord and Savior, I want to obey Him! So, instead of grumbling and complaining, I will support and pray for our new president, for I know that he has a tough job ahead of him. I pray that he will make good decisions. I strongly disagree with his views on MANY things. However, I will not be the one he answers to in the end when it comes to his supporting abortion and gay marriage, which the Bible tells is absolutely wrong. I trust my Lord, and I know that He will always take care of the things that I need. I will praise Him during every storm and every beautiful day! For Jeremiah 29:11 states: For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I will remember this always, because I have a hope in my God!!!

Why isn't the media asking these questions?

I was emailed a youtube video, which a lot of you have probably already seen. I actually forwarded it to everyone on my friend list. So, I went to their website and found this one. These are questions I have wondered myself.
As I watched it, it included part of one of Obama's rallys. He was talking about his two girls and how he was going to teach them "first about values and morals", "but if they make a mistake I don't want them to be punished with a baby." My first response to hearing that was of utter disgust! There are people throughout this country who would give everything they have to have children, but can't. Adoption is a better answer to an unwanted pregnancy. Then the more I thought about it...Why in the world didn't those who were parents get up and walk out?!?!?!?! Talk about morals and values, since when did abortion become morally right? Roe v. Wade may have made it legal, but to me there is a difference between legal and morally right. Others may disagree with me, and that's okay. However, I know what the BIBLE says, and abortion is WRONG, period! Then, he said he would sign the Freedom of Choice Act. One of the actions is to remove restrictions on parental notification. If you were a parent and YOUR child was pregnant and wanted to get an abortion, wouldn't you want to be notified????????? WHO COULD SUPPORT THAT? I am truly dumbfounded that any family-oriented person would stand up and applaud this man. Are we hearing different things? I don't think so. Any parent, anyone wanting to BE a parent, any Christ-follower, should oppose this man wanting to be the leader of our country. I included Christ-follower, because you don't pick the parts of the Bible you want to believe and follow. The Bible is God's Holy Word and we as Christians are to believe all it says 100%. Someone told my husband yesterday that they were voting for Obama, but, get this...they hoped they wouldn't be sorry. HELLO...IF YOU HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT THIS MAN, DON'T VOTE FOR HIM!

I once thought that I should watch the things I say, especially during this election. However, this is too important to stand aside and not say anything! So, I am going to continue to post anything else I can get my hands on in order to show the Obama supporters that he is the WRONG MAN for the job of President of our United States! So, watch this video and ask yourself...Why AREN'T these questions being asked? They seem pretty important as to the character of Barak Obama. Wouldn't you want someone with integrity in the White House as our Commander in Chief? I think you can tell the way I feel.

Going to vote!!!!

Okay everyone, I am going to vote for McCain here in the next hour. I wanted to put another link that someone sent me this afternoon! It is one that I haven't seen, however there are pieces of it I have seen. Anyway, PLEASE watch it before you go vote. This election should be based on morals!!!!!!!!

Jeremiah 9

I talked to a wonderful friend of mine last night that I had not talked to in several months. She had been reading my blog and gave me a scripture to read and think about. (Thank you, Ginger!) As I read it this morning, I am amazed at how it fits the times that we are in. We live in a world of lies and people refuse to stand up for the truth. I wonder how much worse today is compared to the time of Sodom and Gomorrah. I imagine that the things we do today are truly breaking God's heart! I wonder if the things we are going through with our economy and everything else are because we have chosen to abandon the Word of the Lord. We chase after our own desires and have put the One who truly loves us and created us on the back burner. I will admit I am not wise spiritually, but I prayed this morning that God would speak to me from His Word! Jeremiah 9 was interesting to read this morning! I feel that we do need to weep for our country and get on our knees and be vigilant in praying for our country during this election! However, I do know that God already knows what is to come and we also need to praise Him for all that we are going through now and what is ahead of us!

Jeremiah 9 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society



Jeremiah 9
1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears!
I would weep day and night
for the slain of my people.

2 Oh, that I had in the desert
a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,
a crowd of unfaithful people.

3 "They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;
it is not by truth
that they triumph [a] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledge me,"
declares the LORD.

4 "Beware of your friends;
do not trust your brothers.
For every brother is a deceiver, [b]
and every friend a slanderer.

5 Friend deceives friend,
and no one speaks the truth.
They have taught their tongues to lie;
they weary themselves with sinning.

6 You [c] live in the midst of deception;
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,"
declares the LORD.

7 Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says:
"See, I will refine and test them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?

8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
it speaks with deceit.
With his mouth each speaks cordially to his neighbor,
but in his heart he sets a trap for him.

9 Should I not punish them for this?"
declares the LORD.
"Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this?"

10 I will weep and wail for the mountains
and take up a lament concerning the desert pastures.
They are desolate and untraveled,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds of the air have fled
and the animals are gone.

11 "I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah
so no one can live there."

12 What man is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the LORD and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?

13 The LORD said, "It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. 14 Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their fathers taught them." 15 Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have destroyed them."

17 This is what the LORD Almighty says:
"Consider now! Call for the wailing women to come;
send for the most skillful of them.

18 Let them come quickly
and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
and water streams from our eyelids.

19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
'How ruined we are!
How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
because our houses are in ruins.' "

20 Now, O women, hear the word of the LORD;
open your ears to the words of his mouth.
Teach your daughters how to wail;
teach one another a lament.

21 Death has climbed in through our windows
and has entered our fortresses;
it has cut off the children from the streets
and the young men from the public squares.

22 Say, "This is what the LORD declares:
" 'The dead bodies of men will lie
like refuse on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
with no one to gather them.' "

23 This is what the LORD says:
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,

24 but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,"
declares the LORD.

25 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh- 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the desert in distant places. [d] For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart."

Elizabeth Rohn-Nelson is RIGHT ON, TOO!!!!!

Someone sent me this email, too!




ELIZABETH ROHN-NELSON: Prayer can move mountains

Being dismayed recently when a family member of mine said
to me with great resignation that Obama will take the presidency.
These words came from someone who in the past has been a great
prayer warrior.
Why is happening was my question??? Why are we Christians
settling and not issuing a battle cry and falling to our knees and
taking our country back?
Why aren't we praying? Our God is a mighty God who is waiting patiently
for us to raise our voices to heaven to stop the tide of the anti-Christ
actions in our world today. Now we find we have a
charismatic candidate
for president who does not respect our flag and refuses to wear one on
his lapel except when it becomes politically expedient and whose own
wife and pastor that he loves profess to have strong anti-white
feelings, and we sit back and say "it is a given, we can do nothing."

There has never been a time in 2000 years that we can do
nothing. We must not sit back and allow the evil in men's and women's hearts to take over our world. We should be very afraid because our
apathy is leading us to perdition.

It is time for all Christian Americans to raise the battle cry and take
our nation back. Maybe McCain on his own cannot defeat
Obama, but our God can and He will if we take to our knees in prayer and raise a mighty
cry to the heavens to "Save us O Lord." We have
the power to change the course of this election and to keep a man as suspect as Barak Obama from
leading our country to who knows where with his message of
"change" - a change which I fear will be away from our Christian ideals
and away from Christ and further away from one nation under God.

We are great at passing stories and pictures around the
internet, but where are our prayers and prayer warriors praying to stop
this tide of Barak Obama? God parted the red sea, Jesus raised himself from the
dead, and we can bring our country back to its Christian
roots and stop
the move to the rise of Muslims in our country. We can
stop our country
from being "under Allah," but we must begin to
pray, to pray as if our
country and our lives depended on it, because they do. We
can stop all these atrocities against God's commands that have taken
root in our country through something as simple as sincere prayer, a
call to God to deliver us, to forgive us our sins of apathy and to protect us from the evil that is upon us.

Okay prayer warriors, here is your challenge, start those
prayer chains.
Get the spiritual power working on our behalf and stop
Barak Obama the
proper way, by calling on our God to save us from the deception that
charismatic preaching is using to lead us on the wrong path. Stop those who would take God out of our country and our government. Raise
up good men to lead us and protect us.

Invite God into the fray. Ask that His power rest upon us and give us the victory. Ask him to raise up a
mighty army to defend us and to protect our country as he
did in days of old. Let us be victorious beginning NOW. The battle is His but we must
call on Him without ceasing and unite our voices and hearts
in prayer and fasting.

Please pass this around to all people of prayer that you
know and maybe,
just maybe a more eloquent person of prayer will write
something better
and more inspiring and even the rocks will shout that Jesus
is Lord and our Mighty God is with us, bringing the victory for us and
ultimately for Him. "Be joyful always, pray continually, give
thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ
Jesus." I Thes 5:16-18
....Continuous Prayer is the answer to this attack on the USA.... Please
pray the Will of God will prevail through our continuous prayers to HIM...
Remember Prayer Can... Move Mountains

Tough Week!

It has been a really busy week this week. Since Saturday, it has been non-stop. I am TIRED!!! Between, football pictures, cheerleading pictures, football and baseball games, baseball pictures, homework, church, more homework (which is sad for 1st and 2nd grade) and halloween parties, school fall festival...I am spent, to say the least. I still have very important things to take care of this week, and I need to be at my best! To top things off, my almost 4 month old, who was sleeping through the night at 8 weeks old, is no longer sleeping through the night. In fact, she has decided that either 3 am or 5 am is when she wants a bottle. She won't go back to sleep until she gets one either. Trust me...I've tried. Needless to say, I am struggling! Unfortunately, my attitude has reflected my lack of rest. The last thing I want to portray to my children is my impatience. Sometimes I see it in Lainie, and I know that it comes from me. I feel incredibly guilty when I see that in her, because that is not a good quality to pass to my children. I am so trying to fix that in myself. I am ready for Sunday. I feel so good when I can go to church and have my tank refilled. The one thing I know I need to work on is being able to refuel during the week by having my quiet time. So, today, that's what I am going to do. I am going to spend time with God this morning in His Word, and I know that the rest of this day, I will be able to handle more gracefully than I have in past several days!

Lord, I pray right now that my ears and my heart will be open and listening to what I need to hear from you today. May my children see how much I love you in the way I respond to everything around me. Thank you for loving me even when I am at my worst!

Thankful!!

I love to look back at old pictures! I try my best to take pictures as much as I can. We have an account on Photomax, and I think I have around 2400 pictures stored there, and that doesn't count the pictures I have from negatives (before I had a digital camera). I don't want to miss a thing!!! Anyway, as I look back, it brings me to tears, because I love my family so much!!! I have been blessed by having wonderful parents, grandparents, in-laws, sister's and nieces. We have wonderful friends from church, school and our neighborhood, too. My cup truly runneth over!! I am so grateful for all of these people that God has put in my life. Each one is special.

Now I have gotten in touch with friends from grade school and high school that I haven't seen in YEARS!!!! (THANKS TO FACEBOOK) It's awesome to see them and hear what's going on in their lives. I don't ever want to take these opportunities for granted.

2008 Pictures (so far)

Natalie

Teachers!!

I just got back from visiting with Noah and Lainie's teachers at Parent/Teacher conference time. First of all, let me just say that we have been truly blessed by the teachers Noah and Lainie have and have had. They love the Lord and they love each child in their class. It's awesome when your child's teacher is moved to tears because she truly desires for these children to see Jesus in her. She is so humble, loving, thoughtful, amazing....I could just go on and on! These two women are wonderful and God has definitely given them a gift! So, thank you for all you do Mrs. Rhodes and Mrs. Varga!!! I can tell you that my family loves you both!

Whew!

Well, we made it through one crazy weekend. If we can just make it through the next weekend, we'll be doing FANTASTIC!!! Josh had a seminar all weekend, so I was on my own getting kids to cheerleading, football, piano and baseball! Saturday went great, thanks to my awesome babysitter and wonderful brother-in-law!! I got all the kids ready this morning, and we were only 20 minutes late to Sunday school. (Not bad for being on my own.) Needless to say, when Josh is here, we are not that late. We didn't have any meltdowns and my children were cooperative AND helpful!!!!! I was so proud!

I love being at church! It's definitely a refueling time for me. I need it and am totally thankful that we have a loving church and an awesome pastor!!! I love being involved there and I love the opportunities I have to serve. Our pastor's sermon today was awesome. I am hoping that I can remember the main points, but I'm tired and my brain isn't working at 100%. However, I really felt him step on my toes and I got convicted of some things. It made me think of how as a Christian, my life should be different. I became a new person and my actions should show that! I shouldn't be afraid to tell others about Jesus. My heart wants to ask everyone I meet if they know Jesus, but my mind brings in the doubt and fear. I am afraid that I won't be able to answer all of someone's questions or skepticism. I am afraid of offending someone. I shouldn't be, because it's not of God. I may not be wise when it comes to quoting scripture and knowing all of the bible stories, but I DO KNOW what Jesus has done for me and how it has changed my life and my desires. I prayed today, that God would present an opportunity for me to invite someone to church, and that I would recognize the opportunity and not be afraid to seize it! I do want God to use me. I want people to know how much I love Him. I want them to want what I have. I want them to see Jesus in me! Not for my glory, but for HIS!!! I want them to experience this incredible JOY!!! I may mess up everyday! I know that I will sin tomorrow, because I am human and I make mistakes. However, when I do, I know that I can go to God and ask for forgiveness and know that I have been truly forgiven! I know that I must try not to make those mistakes again. I also have four little sets of eyes that see my actions everyday, and four little hearts to protect. I want my children to know that their Mommy and Daddy love Jesus with all of their heart and soul, so that they may make the same decision. What an incredible responsibility Josh and I have been given!!

This is what has been on my heart today. May God bless each one of you that reads this!!

Starting again!!

It's been quite a while since I have done anything, so I am going to try this again! I wonder how my friends find time to do this. I tried one on myspace, but I have decided to cancel my MySpace account, because I love Facebook!!! I have found many of my friends on there, it's great to reconnect, and you don't have to pay for it like you do on classmates! My next door neighbor has a really cute blog. She teaches and has girls that are super involved in soccer. So much so, that we hardly ever see them! So, if she can do this, so can I!

So, today, I know that I have a lot on my plate. However, I thought that if I wrote it all out, that it would help me get organized. I was going to go to kickboxing today, because that's pretty much the only time I have for myself, but Natalie decided to take an early nap. So, number one on my list is to get on the treadmill. I have to get these last 10 pounds of baby weight off, so I can get into my jeans by the time cooler weather sets in. Then, I have a TON of laundry and cleaning to do, because it seems that no matter what I do, I still manage to get behind. However, as I sit here and put all this on a list, I am reminded of a short video we watched in Sunday School last week. It's actually been on my mind all week, but unfortunately I have failed at doing what I know God wants of me.

We talked last Sunday about tithing our time and giving our first fruits to God. It's only taken me 4 nights of being woken up between 4:30 and 5:30 by Natalie being hungry (which is unusual because she's been sleeping through the night for 7 weeks now) to realize that I could have and should have been doing my quiet time then. It's just like giving our tithe at church. When we give our first fruits financially, God ALWAYS manages to meet our financial needs, WITHOUT FAIL! I know, because my family has experienced both sides of tithing and not tithing! Most days, I seem to run out of time. I don't stay focused on what I need to be doing and I get sidetracked easily! I don't prioritize and I put things off until the very last minute, and that gets me into trouble. Then, it seems to spiral out of control. I am juggling all of these balls up in the air, and by the end of the day, I have dropped them all. Not only have I put God on the back burner, but I have tried to take control of everything and lost focus on the One and only thing that matters. So, this I hope will keep me accountable of that, because I'd love to tell each of you what God is doing in my life! I am so excited about some things that I am involved in, so keep checking in, because I am learning a lot!!!
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