Happy 8th Birthday Ally

Ally just turned 8 years old... where has the time gone? This year, she requested to celebrate her birthday with a sleepover. It was the first time she had more than one little friend stay at a time, but they had so much fun! Here are some pictures...

We started out with a little art project, making signs for the girls to hang up on their room doors.

These little girls are the first "best friends" Ally has made. They are both her homeschool buddies and it has been hilarious to watch them forge their way into friendship this year. I remember being that age... now my daughter is the one having sleepovers with friends. It feels so weird being on this end of it!

After dinner and presents, the girls headed up to the playroom and cranked up the stereo. I snuck in the room and took a few pictures of them having a "rock concert"... this was Ally's face when she realized I was in the room. Ha!

Next it was time for cake. Ally requested a big birthday cookie and the girls thoroughly enjoyed it!

Then it was time for some beauty treatments. We did manicures, hair, and makeup.

Finally, the girls conked out under our homemade tent int he living room. They were so exhausted!

I love my little birthday girl! I can't believe she is 8 years old. I'm so proud of young lady she is becoming day by day. She has truly turned into my little friend. I never dreamed having a daughter would be so much fun!

10 Random Lessons For a Tuesday

1. I've decided to give up artificial sweeteners including my beloved diet drinks. The result? I've lost 7 pounds in a week and I have had withdrawals like I'm coming off drugs. HORRIBLE. 

Lesson: Don't drink diet drinks. Ever.

2. My baby girl is going to turn 8 in just two weeks. Cue Mommy meltdown. How is this even possible?! Wasn't it just yesterday that I was swaddling her and crying in the shower, begging God for two hours of consolidated sleep at night? Now she is rocking out to Victorious and taking longer to get dressed than I do.

Lesson: Rock your baby tonight. 

3. I have severe baby-itis right now. Adoption is heavy on my heart these days and God is working to possibly open that door for us again after a very long time. I had almost given up hope, but God has plans and I am trusting Him to do what He wants with our family. 

Lesson: Never stop hoping.

4. It is finally warm weather. Unfortunately, my lack of sunshine for the past couple months resulted in an uncomfortable sunburn when I decided to take advantage of the weather and hit the beach. 

Lesson: Always wear sunscreen.

5. I live in a retirement community. No seriously... this neighborhood is a haven for elderly couples seeking warm beach weather and quiet retreat in their later years. It is super nice and quiet, but I've discovered that old people are mean. In fact, just this week, I witnessed a fight break out in the park between two old women over whether a dog should be allowed to sit on the fishing dock without a leash. 

Lesson: Old people are grouchy. Beware.

6. Yesterday, I was feeling bad (see #1), stressed about work, trying to pray through some big decisions, and overly emotional (surprising, right?). I ended up crying four different times before noon. Sometimes tears are an outlet for stress I think! My poor husband has learned that sometimes I just need to have a good cry or I'll explode. Thankfully, when these things happen, he hugs me for just the right amount of time and then runs for his life. ;)

Lesson: Sometimes you just gotta cry.

7. In my new quest for "clean eating", I discovered Simply Grapefruit Juice. Then I discovered Simply Raspberry Lemonade. Then I discovered bliss. 

Lesson: When life gives you lemons, drink Simply Lemonade.

8. We got the scores back from the kid's achievement tests last week and I am one proud mama! Both of my kids did so well on their tests! Walker might be a little wild at times, but homeboy really learned his stuff in kindergarten. And for all of Ally's sighs and looks of disgust about writing assignments, it paid off because she only missed 2 questions on the whole achievement test. 

Lesson: Homeschooling is hard, but it sure is worth it.

9. In watching television lately, I feel like everything has turned into political propaganda. All of my favorite shows are suddenly featuring random shootings and putting in plugs about gun control. It's everywhere I look. What's wrong with the world today? I get why people are freaked out about guns, but at the same time, why not educate people? I've been exposed to guns my entire life and I have a healthy fear of them. Banning guns won't stop violence. It's illegal to smoke marijuana, but that doesn't mean the surf shop doesn't smell like grass. Just sayin'.

Lesson: Laws don't change people. Jesus does.

10. Josh bought me a bicycle a couple weeks ago and I took it out for a ride the other day. It is so much fun to get out there and ride like a kid again! I had forgotten how much fun it was to ride a bike! I had also forgotten how small the seats were. Or maybe my rear just got larger... ??? We'll say it's the seats. Anyway, I was riding down the street and my neighbor up the road waved at me. This is monumental because people in this neighborhood are not friendly (see #5) so I immediately knew I had to wave back. This was huge. Only, I forgot how to delicately balance on a bike with one hand on the handlebars while waving... and I ran into the ditch. My neighbor ducked his head and pretended he didn't see it. I escaped with no serious injuries, but some mildly wounded pride.

Lesson: Don't wave and ride.

In Memory

Today, I headed out to a little park on the waterway to clear my head and pray. I intended to fish, but nothing was biting and so, I settled on a little park bench overlooking an empty playground and decided to spend some time just enjoying the quiet, praying about everything I was worried over. So much is happening in my life right now and none of it is stuff I can really share quite yet. But I was carrying a load of swirling thoughts and a heavy heart.

As I sat there for a few minutes, listening to the sea gulls squawk and the motor boats move by, I noticed a little gold square attached to the bench. "In memory of..." A small description underneath said, "Loved God, her family, her community."

That little memorial was just what I needed today. When this life is over and all is said and done, what would my little gold square say? How will I be remembered?

I want a lot of things out of life. I like to drink of each day deeply, savoring each moment and never skipping a second of the experiences this world has to offer. Whether it is the sound of my children's laughter or the cool wind on my face as I stare at the vast ocean, I soak it in like there will never be another day like this. I find myself cataloging moments like a librarian would file away those old yellow cards in the card catalog. I think I started really living in the moment when Josh was diagnosed with heart disease and I have never stopped.

But in all of my daily pauses, sometimes I forget the most important thing. Am I doing what really counts? This afternoon, I sat down with Josh and we talked through a lot of things that are happening in our world. We boiled it down to a short list... what has God asked us to do? And which path do we take to be completely obedient? It looks like that path might not be what I expected, planned, or even wanted ultimately. But I choose to walk that road.  This is why...

Someday I want to be remembered like this: "She loved her Jesus, her husband, and many children." If my life reflects that, it was worth it all. We're reordering our priorities a little these days. It's time to step back, take an assessment and decide if we are on the right course or if it's time to steer into a new adventure. I don't know how it will turn out, but I think for the first time in a long while, I am at peace down to the tips of my toes. 

There is nothing better than that deep, life giving peace that comes only from King Jesus.

So friends, that is my life today. What about you? How do you want to be remembered?

I'm Alive!

Hello Internet world. I am here to report that I am alive despite the fact that I've neglected my blog here for way too long. I'm hoping to get back to it. I miss writing. In fact, I was driving down the road yesterday and I almost pulled over on the side of the road to just scribble in a notebook. It seems like I write every single day for work, but I never take time to write for me. So I'm back here to get back into it.  Hold me accountable on this!

For now, here's a quick synopsis of life these days for my family.

We're planting a church. It's been a long time coming, right? We moved here in October 2011 and for the past 18ish months, we have been trying to put down roots and meet people. We knew NO ONE when we first came here, but now we have so many great friends and what we like to call our "beach family". Three weeks ago, we started officially meeting once a week for Bible study. This small group is the first step of what we hope will build momentum and turn into Salt City Church. Please pray for us if you think of it. This is definitely not easy and it has been an uphill battle in the past few months. We had spent a year hanging out with a local church plant, helping them some, and just adjusting in a lot of ways to this new type of ministry and life for our family. It's been hard to leave them and try to avoid hurting people. But ultimately, it came down to remembering why we came here in the first place. We are fixing our eyes on that and trying really hard to walk forward without distraction.

We're homeschooling. Things are still plugging along for us and we are coming close to the end of the school year. The kids have spring fever big time and I think we are all ready for summer break. Thankfully, we started at the very beginning of August so we will be finished early. This week, the kids are taking a "spring break" week and we are just enjoying some lazy, family days. Over all, homeschooling has gone well this year. It's been hard to adjust to doing official school with both kids even though Walker always did school time with us last year. He is reading words fluently now and starting to conquer some beginning reader books. Ally is still my little whiz kid. She loves school, loves books, and gets mad if we don't do some kind of science experiment every week.

We're getting ready for Easter. This year, we are spending Easter here and I expect it to be weird. We usually go back towards "home" and spend the weekend with our families. This year, we've made a lot of trips back and forth though so we are going to stay put and just enjoy the holiday here. We've already dyed our Easter eggs and we're debating where we will go to church on Easter Sunday morning. We've been on the "tour of churches" for the past couple months and we have visited a lot of local congregations so now we just have to pick!

We're eagerly waiting for summer. I cannot even explain to you how much this weather is killing me. Last year, it was already 80+ degrees at this point, but this year we are sitting steadily in the 50's. We had a little bit of beautiful weather last month which was just a tease. One good beach day and then it was gone. I can't wait for it to warm up so we can fish, play at the park, and sink our toes in the sand.

What about you? What is your family up to these days? If anyone is still around to read this, I'd love to hear from you!

Pick the Right Fight

Yesterday I was not a nice person to be around. I'm going to be honest with you about that upfront. My husband caught the biggest part of my wrath, but I'm pretty sure there was enough to go around to pretty much everyone I encountered. I'm not proud of that. It all started with something simple. I should have seen it for what it was, but I picked the wrong fight.

We are right on the cusp of a brand new season. Our church planting adventure is gearing up and we are starting to really see huge strides towards assembling an actual church. We came here knowing no one and now we are slowly assembling a core team with the same burden to reach this area that we have. We've been focused. We've been swimming deep in prayer. We've been working hard.

So I shouldn't have been surprised by yesterday's events. It was nothing huge... just one of those days full of frustrations. The enemy always attacks when we get busy for the kingdom. We've seen it before and we will undoubtedly see it again. But somehow, I lost sight of that.

Yesterday afternoon, I strapped on my running shoes and hit the pavement. I spend my run praying, pouring out my list of frustrations from the day and seeking God's intervention. In return, the Lord gently reminded me that I had a lousy attitude.

It took a few hours and a good talk with my husband before I let it go and realized that I was fighting the wrong enemy. You see, I had turned my frustration at Josh, but he was not the source. I got my feathers ruffled over something stupid and used it as an excuse to be in a sour mood all day long. But by the time I went to bed, I realized that my anger was aimed at the wrong person.

Ephesians 6:12 says:

"For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."

This verse gently (okay, not so gently) reminded me that I was fighting with the wrong one. My husband is not the enemy, even when he makes me mad. My children are not the enemy, even when they drive me batty. My circumstances are not the enemy. My job is not the enemy. My finances are not the enemy.

My real enemy is unseen, just as Scripture teaches. If I am to get angry and do battle, I must pick the right fight. With that in mind, today I have been mindful to fight through prayer. I offered a major apology to my husband who just laughed and hugged me (he's amazing like that). I also asked God to forgive me for the way I had been acting. 

If you are having one of those days where your circumstances leave you in a "funk" or your loved ones make you angry, take a minute and pray. Pick the right fight and realize who your real enemy is. Then pick up God's Word and do battle the way you should.... with a humble heart and a lot of prayer. 

Christmas Portraits 2012

This year, I was planning to pay a visit to Portrait Innovations for some photos, but then I decided I would just break out the camera and do some pictures myself. I am so glad that I did. Not only did I have a blast making pictures of the kids, but I think they turned out pretty good.  Here are some of my favorites...

This next one just makes me laugh... this just captures my little guy perfectly! :)

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! 

That silly, silly elf on the shelf

This is the first year that Santa sent a little elf to our house. The kids named him Buddy... not surprising considering our obsession with the movie "Elf"!

He has been very busy at night, hiding around the house, making mischief, and leaving little messages for Ally and Walker to find. Here are a few photos of Buddy from the past week...

Do you have a little elf in your house? What has he been up to lately?

Our New Nest

I've been meaning to post a few pictures of our new house, but just kept forgetting to take some when I had the camera out. I did snap a few the other day and thought I'd share them here for my family who hasn't visited yet *cough, Mom and Dad, cough*. ;)

Looking down from the steps... (I didn't take any photos of the bedrooms or upstairs where we have our school room. I will try to remember to do that next time!)

This is actually the dining room, but I decided to make it the Christmas tree room for now. :)

One of my favorite things about the whole house is the front door.

Living Room

This is our eating area in the kitchen. I don't know why the curtains look like they are mustard colored in this picture. They are actually a cream color. :)

I spy a husband working and a dog lurking...

Love my new kitchen... after almost a year with no dishwasher, I was pretty excited to have one in our new house!

My favorite place - the back porch! If I ever talk to you on the phone, I'm probably sitting right there on the screened in porch as we chat. :) 

Our backyard pond... 

So there you have a sneak preview... hopefully I'll post pics of some visiting family members soon. *Hint Hint* ;)

Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids

In case you didn't know, I'm slightly obsessed with Christmas. I get a little nutty during December with Christmas crafts! This year, I've done a craft almost everyday with the kids. We curl up with popcorn and our favorite Christmas movies at night several times each week. Maybe I've gone overboard, but I have almost felt like we were making up for lost time since I missed almost the whole month of December with them last year. They spent the whole month with grandparents and came home 3 days before Christmas last year because I was having to take care of Josh after his open heart surgery.

I cried and cried last year over missing all the Christmas traditions with them. Of course, my mom and Josh's mom did such a good job with them that they never even seemed to notice. They still got to make Christmas cookies, go see Santa, watch Frosty, and do lots of crafts. I still missed it though. So I guess this year, I've been making up for all that lost time. It's so good to have Josh feeling good enough to be a part of it this year too! :)

I figured I'd roll together all of the Christmas crafts we've been doing into one post and just show you some of our projects. Maybe this will give you some fun ideas to try with your little ones. I'd also love to hear some ideas of fun Christmas activities you do with your kids!


1. Christmas Paper Plate Wreaths - green paint or shreds of green construction paper, white paper plates, glue, red glitter

2. Countdown to Christmas Paper Chains - Use 3 colors of construction paper (red, green, white) and let them create a pattern as they do this craft.

3. Handprint and Footprint Reindeer - Trace or paint a foot for the reindeer's face and hands for the antlers. Add a red nose to make him look like Rudolph!

4. Christmas Tree Magnets - card stock cut into the shape of a Christmas tree, green paint, bingo markers to stamp ornaments, magnet to attach to the back

Some other good Christmas activity books I found on Google -

Those are a few of the crafts we've been busy with! What are you favorite Christmas crafts for kids?