Where The Road Begins

Purity and Standards

2012-01-22T15:32:00.000-08:00

This weekend, my friend and I had the privilege to take four teenagers to a purity conference. It was a loooong drive. Four.five hours to be exact. Was it worth it? YOU BET! See, I LOVE the youth. The youth is where my heart is. It was such an honor to take these girls and pray with them and see God working in their lives.

Bro. Travis Plumlee was the speaker. If you read my blog often, you know that I love listening to him preach the Word of God. This man can deliver. He knows how to make it funny for teens, but serious enough to where they actually listen. Our preacher has the same gift! I would say there was about 100 girls there all together. I wanted to share some of the notes that I took. Some of this may be a bit harsh, as in NOT what you want to hear, but it's the truth, and God says to speak the truth.

We are called to be Ladies of Honor. 1 Peter 3:3,4 "3-Do not let your adornment be merely outward-- arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- 4-Rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."
Does this mean we aren't to fix our hair or wear nice clothes....NO. This means that what is truly important is what is INSIDE your heart. Jesus. In order to let Jesus shine, you have to show it. He doesn't shine through your designer clothes and your perfectly-in-place hair. He shines through your spirit.

A man on your arm adds NOTHING to your relationship with Christ. Stop looking for a man and look UP to HIM! Girls are an ornament on His tree.

When we worry more about what we wear and how we look than what our spirit looks like, we are letting the world shine through us. Let God be the inner part of your body shining through.

Be a unique woman. Feminine does NOT equal weak. A strong woman is one who can make a decision, has beliefs, character, and shows action. Set a new path of society for women today.

Dating in the American society is soooooo messed up. Think about it. Do we say to our little ones, "oh you have a crush on so and so! hahahaha!" This is something I have done in the past, but not anymore. I don't want my daughter to get her heart broken over and over and over. We are going to set standards for her. Elementary, middle school, and junior high is way too young to think about boyfriends and girlfriends.

Before you court or date anyone- PRAY about it. Guard your heart. It's God's treasure, not yours. It's not yours to give out to a million boys. Guard your heart through prayer.

Did you know that flirting produces lust? Yes! I see so many young girls flirting. They are doing nothing but making it so much harder on young men to keep thoughts away.

The world says there is pleasure and joy in sexual impurity. Strengthen your purity. Memorize scripture. If a boy asks you to go out- ask him to come to church. If he wants to sit by you, have him sit by your parents. If he truly is interested in you, he will come and pay attention to what you enjoy.

Those are just a few of the notes. The main thing I wanted to talk about was standards. This is something that I think is HIGHLY important for ALL young teens today. Set standards in your house as to what you expect from them when it comes to boys/girls.
Courting is something I didn't hear about until recently. Will I have Ruthie and Randy court before dating- YES. This is something God has laid upon my heart and has taught me about. Courting is saying, "hey, I like you, and think you are cute. Let's get to know each other better through friendship and fellowship, supervised everywhere we go." Dating will come later on in their teens, *maybe* around 18. Standards will be set. NOTHING should be done in courtship. No hand holding, no kissing. Hugging is ok. Kissing can happen in dating, but in MODERATION. A LOT of young teens at the purity conference want to save their kiss for marriage. I think this is amazing. They want to stay pure! There will be no riding together in the same car. Date in public places for at least 6 months. Courting and dating is to make sure this person is the one you want to spend your life with. Don't give your heart away to tons of boys. You are giving bits and pieces of your heart away and that heart belongs to God. Stay pure. At the end of the conference, they were given the choice to sign a purity covenant. They didn't have to, but all of our girls did. I wrote it down to remember when the time comes for Ruthie. Here is what it said:

I promise my God, parents, my future mate, and myself to keep my mind and body morally clean and pure so that when I enter the marriage covenant, I will be able to give myself with a completely clean conscience to my mate.

I was SO grateful to have the chance to attend this conference. I learned so much that will help me in my walk in motherhood with Ruthie. Thank you Jesus for your awesome Word! Thank you for giving me the knowledge to share this with my daughter when the time comes. She is SO precious to me.

I am going to miss this.....

2012-01-02T19:50:00.000-08:00

2011 was a great year. It flew by and I learned a lot about myself. It truly was a blessing.

This Christmas break, I have really enjoyed staying at home with the kids and just being a mom. I so wish I could be a stay-at-home mom. When I go back, I am going to miss the silly moments. I am going to miss going to the grocery store at 9am, when it is basically empty. I am going to miss my kids laughing through the grocery store b/c they know that today is a special day and Mommy isn't as stressed as usual. I am going to miss making breakfast. I am going to miss eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner with my babies. I am going to miss sleeping in and staying in our jammies all day. I am going to miss nap-time. I am going to miss a clean house. I am going to miss being a full-time mom. This is a HUGE struggle for me. I can't even begin to put it into words, but I know all you working moms understand.

Being a working mom, I am going to miss silly moments like this when eating oranges can crack you up!

And when I peek in on my sweet daughter watching Shirley Temple. It makes my heart swell!

Or when I peek in on my sleeping baby boy. He's so sweet when he's asleep!

One other thing I miss- my Grandma. Laying down in the recliner today, I look down at the quilt she made me and it made me sad. I miss her more than words can say. But, I rest in the fact that I KNOW she is walking with Jesus and she is healthy. She was one lovely woman. (blacked out our b-days. We were born on the same day!)

Although I am going to miss these moments, I also need to see the positive side of things. God has surely blessed me. I have a wonderful job, that I honestly love. I have great co-workers and a great boss. I am thankful for this. Would I give it all up to be a stay-at-home-mom, sure, who wouldn't? But, I am very blessed by Jesus Christ!

Favorites from P52 of 2011

2012-01-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share some of my favorites from my Project52 this year!

My baby boy at Christmas time!

LOVE this one!

My sweet baby girl!

FINALLY! One of them both together!

My baby girl and I!

Lonely but won't leave the "vroom vroom!"

First day of Kindergarten! :(

"HI GEI-KEY!"

Prayer at church camp!

Sweetness!

Home away from home!

Snuggles!

Haley Sue!

One of my first P52 photos and one of my favorites!

Christmas Blessings

2011-12-27T06:43:00.000-08:00

What an amazing Christmas we had! I truly enjoyed myself! It's amazing how quickly it all goes by though!!!! I am so thankful I am off for 2 weeks. I seriously don't think I could handle going back to work today. My prayers go out to those that are. I can only imagine how stressed out and exhausted they are.

Friday night, we celebrated with Randall's sister, mom, brother-in-law, and niece. We celebrated here, which was hard b/c I had to clean my house, but I actually like it better b/c we don't have to pack up and drive back home. I had a great time with them. We had some great conversations and the kids loved playing!!!

Week: 51

Saturday morning, we celebrated with my parents and siblings. We had some crazy gifts and laughed a lot. It's so much fun getting together like we used to. Makes me miss being little....almost! There were 21 of us, is what my mom said. There is one more along the way!!! My brother is having another baby and we found out Sunday morning it's going to be a BOY!!!!! They had the ultrasound tech put the information in the envelope and they opened it on Christmas morning. I was beside myself waiting for the call! I am so excited for them!

Sunday, we had a nice quiet morning with just Randall, the kids, and I. The kids opened their gifts. They loved everything they received. It's amazing how easy they were to shop for this year! We read the birth of Jesus out of the Bible and Randy sang "Happy Birthday to Jesus" all day....in fact, he is still singing it! As soon as we finished opening gifts, we quickly got ready for church. It was such a blessing to attend church on Christmas morning. Bro. Troy delivered a great message and the church was packed! I loved seeing that! Randall had to go to work after church, so that was kind of a bummer, but I was thankful they let him off until 1:00.

Week 52:

Sunday evening, we went over to our friends house and just had a nice dinner and some good laughs and conversations. It was fun getting together with them. We hadn't been over there in what seemed like forever! I missed it! We stayed there until late and just truly enjoyed ourselves!
Just a snap of precious baby Caleb!

This Christmas was such a blessing all around. It went by fast, so that's the only sad part. But, we need to celebrate Jesus EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. Not just one day a year. I pray that the world can open their eyes and see the true meaning of Christmas.

Here is week 50 for my P52, which is OVER! I don't know if I am happy or sad!!!!

Week 50:

Precious Words from a 5 Year Old

2011-12-15T15:52:00.000-08:00

We had to make a pit stop at Dollar General today to pick up a few things. Here in our large town, (actually teeny-tiny) it's all we have. We are walking the aisles b/c we don't have much to do. Ruthie tells me she wants to buy a birthday card for Jesus. How in the world could I say no to that!? So, we walk down the card aisle and I read a few to her. This is the one she picks out:

On the ride home, she tells me, "Mommy after I ate lunch I prayed a prayer and I told God that I will do what He tells me to do and I know that He is always with me. I kissed my bracelet and said "thank You for walking with me!" (Her bracelet says "Walking with Jesus")

This touched my heart. She is at the young age of 5 and she already knows and understands God more than I could ever imagine. She blesses my heart and soul. I pray that she always remembers this and continues to love God and grow with Him.

Lord, thank you so much for the precious daughter you have allowed me to raise. I pray that Randall and I can continue to raise her in your Word and follow Your will for her life. She is a gift from You and we are so blessed to have her. Thank You for Your kind words, and always being with her. I pray that she grows to know You more and more. Thank You God. Happy Birthday sweet Jesus!

Life Lately

2011-12-14T19:37:00.000-08:00

It's been hectic around here lately. I know I am not alone in this! I am reading blog after blog of everyone's holiday busy-ness.

I have been signing up for classes (FINALLY going back to college), shopping, wrapping, praying, reading, cleaning, decorating, working, clicking (my camera!), and all sorts of stuff. We are almost finished with Christmas shopping. I know we are with the kids except for their gift for each other. We also have our parents to buy for. That's not too hard though! I am cleaning b/c we are having Randall's Christmas here at our house. Have to clean for that right?!?! AND decorate! I have completed one photoshoot this December and I have a wedding to shoot Friday night! Yes, you read that right- a wedding..... I am NOT a professional and she is totally aware of it. She said if I didn't do it, they would just take some photos themselves, so I agreed. I am so nervous, but super excited!

I wanted to post on Christmas traditions. Growing up, our Christmas traditions included tip-toeing down the stairs in the middle of the night (my brothers and sisters and I) and looking through the tissue paper (Santa wraps in tissue paper at my parent's house) and seeing what we got, and then tip-toeing back up to bed so excited! That was basically it. I am not complaining! I have great memories of this!

I wanted to start some traditions at my home too. We do the whole new jammies thing and they open it on Christmas Eve. I mainly do this b/c I want their jammies to be cute for Christmas pics! (True photographer huh?!) I am thinking of getting them a new Christmas book and letting them open this on Christmas Eve as well. My other thought is an advent type thing. I have seen MANY ideas on Pinterest, but I don't know what I want to do!

My favorite tradition has got to be the one that Emily Anderson does. Here is a link to her blog. Santa puts a little scrap of wrapping paper in each child's stocking (wayyyyy in the bottom) and that style of wrapping paper, is what their gifts are wrapped in. I just LOVE this idea! She has way more kids ( and patience) than I, but I still think it would be fun!

The other tradition I have read a few times about is getting the child only THREE gifts. Yes, you read this right- three gifts. This represents the three gifts the wise-men brought to Jesus. One they NEED, one they WANT, and one that's a surprise! I think this is the right way to go seeing that it's so easy to fall into the trap of materialism during Christmas. I know I have posted on it before, but it bugs me that I feel as though I have to buy tons of stuff for my kids and I fall for it.every.year. It frustrates me to no end. I realize we can't start this year, b/c the presents are already bought, but I am seriously gonna give this some thought and some SERIOUS prayer for next year.

What are your traditions you carry on for your family?!?!

Speaking of materialism- this was on FB the other day, and well, I wanted to share again.

49/52 almost finished!

2011-12-09T16:30:00.000-08:00

Wow....I can't believe my P52 is almost over! I have had a blast doing this. Sometimes it was a pain, but it's really neat to look back at all the photos! I only skipped 2 weeks, which is pretty good!

Here is week 49. We went to Randall's work's Christmas party last night. Ruthie is always nervous around Santa, but the photo that I capture this year, was perfect. Such a sweet moment. Love the look of wonder and joy in her eyes!

Catching up on P52

2011-11-29T17:54:00.000-08:00

I am behind on posting my P52, so I am getting caught up on three weeks here! I have been a bit busy with all the holiday stuff going on.

46/52

I know I already shared this photo, but I couldn't help but share it again. Just love this little guy.

47/52

Another Randy pic. I did a quick twinkle light set up and this is just one I loved. There is little light in his eyes, but I still adore it.

48/52

This little girl has turned into a pog MASTER! She kicks our butts! Randall kept his pogs from Jr. High and passed them down to Ruthie who is loving them. In fact, we all are!

Decorating for Christmas

2011-11-26T16:43:00.000-08:00

I try to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start decorating. I won't say that Christmas music and movies aren't on before then, but decorations are not out until the day after. Today, while having nothing to do, I got down a few boxes, and put some stuff up. I have been scanning Pinterest to find some banners, and I found a few I liked. I made it my own, with Ruthie's help, and I love the way it turned out! It's not "Christmasy" but I like the fact that it can work year round, and it's a good motto to live by. We shouldn't just praise Him during Christmas, but all year.

Here are a few photos of my decorating for the day!

I like to put what we are thankful for on my scrabble tiles. For some reason I didn't get a pic of Randy's. His says "food." This is mine-

This is Ruthie's.

This is Randall's. (No, I didn't tell him to put that!)

I am looking forward to getting our tree on Tuesday and decorating it together as a family!

You can see my previous post on my scrabble tiles here and here.

Thankful

2011-11-25T07:23:00.000-08:00

I realize I posting this the day after Thanksgiving, but better late than never right?

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I truly enjoy getting together with family. This year, was probably one of the best. Randall and I both went to bed talking about the great day we had. We enjoyed a great meal with my MIL, SIL, BIL, and niece on Wed night. We just had a laid back Thanksgiving and I think that was exactly what we all needed. Yesterday, we celebrated with a total of 50 people on my side. We were even missing quite a few people! We enjoyed conversation with family we rarely see. It was just a very blessed day.

I have so much to be thankful for.
I have a Savior- Jesus Christ who died for me.
I will have eternal life through my Savior.
I have a wonderful husband who is a man of God and leads our family the way God intended him to.
I have two precious babies. They inspire me to be a better person.
I have a wonderful family on both sides.
I have parents who raised me to know and love the Lord.
I have sisters and brothers who will help me in times of need.
I have nieces and nephews who always know how to make me smile.
I have Grandparents who are sold out for Jesus.
I have friends who will stand beside me through thick and thin.
I have a church family who has helped me in ways I couldn't even imagine!
I have a home that keeps me warm, cool, and dry.
I have vehicles to get me where I need to go.
I have a job that I love and allows me to be off during the Holidays so I can spend it with family.
I have more than I could ever ask for.

I owe it all to God, not money, not luck, but God. I am blessed.

Sharing a loved recipe

2011-11-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

I am by NO means a great cook. I don't make my own recipes. I try to find EASY recipes out there to cook b/c I am not fond of cooking. I don't mind to bake though. Growing up, we always had Pumpkin Bread. Everyone who tries it, loves it, especially Randall's side of the family, especially Granddad. He always gets his own loaf! Since I am making a million loaves today (well, actually just 9) I thought I would share the recipe. The secret is the coffee cans. Most people bake it in bread loaf pans. This recipes calls for metal coffee cans. I think it holds the flavor in just a bit better!

Yummy Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
3 cups of all purpose flour
1tsp of cinn
2 tsps of baking soda
1.5 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
3 cups of sugar
1 cup veg oil
4 eggs
2/3 can of pumpkin

Steps:
Cream sugar and oil with mixer in a large bowl. Beat eggs in another med bowl. Add pumpkin and water- whip with eggs. In sugar and oil mixture, add egg mixture and other ingredients. Mix well. Grease and flour 3 coffee cans. Evenly fill the 3 coffee cans with the mix. (about 2/3 of the way full) Bake for one hour @ 350.

I am a huge fan of this pumpkin bread and so are my kiddos. Ruthie especially loves it! Give it a try and let me know what you think! By the way....I am not a huge fan of pumpkin, nor flavored bread, so if you are picky like me, please, still give it a try! I love how they make perfect round slices!

TGIF!

2011-11-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for this Friday! I am headed to a family retreat with our church! We get to hear Bro. Travis preach the Word all weekend long! Randall wasn't able to go with us at first, but now he gets to go at least half of the time! I am praying I come back refreshed along with a better attitude and understanding of God's will for my life! Hoping everyone has an awesome weekend! Can't wait to share some information when I get back. Pictures too! :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

A Quote

2011-11-14T18:23:00.000-08:00

This quote was on FB by a dear friend and it hit me pretty hard.

" If Satan can't make you bad, he's just fine with making you busy."

This is so true. This was posted for me to see. I believe that 100%! God is working on me. I have been studying on how to be a better wife. I think it's opening my eyes on how to be a better mother too. One verse that stood out to me was Proverbs 31:26- "When she speaks, her words are wise and kindness is the rule for everything she says." I am not always kind. I tend to get frustrated quite often. I struggle with my attitude the moment I walk through the door. I am here to say I am not perfect. I want to be a better mother, wife, and child of God.

Today, I took a step. I realize I work out of the home, but I know stay-at-home-moms are busy too. I tend to get wrapped up in life, laundry, and the net. It's a struggle for me. Today, as soon as we got home, we played outside for a bit. The kids rode their scooters and bikes (on the front porch b/c that's all the pavement we have around here!) and Randy just about fell off the porch backwards, so I had to put an end to all that. I pushed them on the tire swing. We went for a walk down the dirt road and picked up trash. We even grabbed a blanket and laid out on the trampoline and sang songs. This is what God wants me to do as a mother. NOT play on the net, read other books, play the Wii, or even be caught up in laundry. He wants me to raise them right, teach them HIS way, and spend time with them while they still want me to. Business tends to pull you away from what God wants. It pulls us to what WE want, but not what HE wants. I see this everywhere. It's a struggle for the world. I just pray that as women, we take the time out and spend it with what truly counts- God & family.

I love days like this

2011-11-13T18:56:00.000-08:00

Sundays are probably my favorite day of the week. I spend most of it away from home, but I go to my 2nd home- church. I honestly love Sundays. There's just something about being in the Lord's House two times in one day. Yes, you read that right- I go to church TWICE in one day!! Why? Because I love to worship the Lord. We had a guest speaker today at church and he talked about Psalm 122:1, which is where David says, "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord." I am always happy to go to church. In fact, to be honest- I wish we had church every night. It keeps me on the right track and helps me grow. Do I think you need to go to church to be saved? No. But I do believe it will help you grow and follow His will.

I also love Sundays b/c the kids seem to take a longer nap than normal. That's when I do a lot of my editing. Today, I made our Christmas card, or a possible card I should say. After naps, we head back to church. It just makes my day complete. Sometimes, we eat out and have fellowship with our church family. See, in our little town, there is not much to choose from when it comes to eating. I am being honest. We usually go to the burger joint or the pizza place. That's about all we got. It's worth it though. The fellowship is always a great time!

This was such a sweet moment. I have been meaning to grab my camera and catch my sweet boy sleeping. I finally managed to this morning. The first pic shows him when I first grabbed my camera. The second pic is the one that I really wanted to capture- this is how he usually sleeps. Yes, he is asleep with his eyes partially open....

45/52 and my kids smiling TOGETHER!

2011-11-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

This week, I had a day where it was cloudy and I was just itching to do a photo-shoot with Ruthie and Randy. I thought for sure Randy wouldn't participate, but I managed a few smiles from them both. The first one is week 45 for my P52.

This one is one that I just adore. I only have ONE other pic of the two of them together that is decent, so this is so special to me. Yes, I realize it's not technically correct, I see flaws. This was just a quick edit, but I still LOVE this photo of my two babies!

Our little hot-rod. Man on man is he a mess. But, you can't help but love him to pieces.

I am pretty sure we are in biggggg trouble with this one. Look at her gorgeous brown eyes, and luscious lips. But, I trust in the Lord that he won't make me raise teenagers! HAHAHA!

This one is one of my favs. I did a bit of a different processing here, but I adore this one. She's is my baby girl!

And, little Miss 'Tude!

Secret Church

2011-11-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, I had the opportunity to join in a simulcast at my friend's church with David Platt- the author of Radical. Radical rocked my world in so many ways. I was beyond excited to get the chance to hear him speak! It was a six hour long simulcast. It went from 6pm-12am. It dealt with sex, marriage, and the gospel. He went through it all really fast, so I don't reccomend children or even possibly teens to do it b/c I am not sure they could keep up. I had a tough time, but it put it in reality that there are people all over this world who are not able to worship freely, the way we are. They have to gather secretively in spaces that are tiny, with no heat/air, no comfortable seats, and more than likely- they had to walk there.
Here, we show up in millions of dollars worth of vehicles, in comfy seats, and air conditioned/heated rooms, waiting for that ONE hour of church to be over with. When other countries have to meet, they meet for as long as possible so they can soak up as many hours worth of God's Word they can. This is the reason behind secret church. No, we didn't walk. No, we weren't cold or hot. No, it wasn't illegal, but there were some viewing the simulcast in areas where it WAS illegal. It's crazy to think just how good we have it here in the U.S.
I will do my best ot provide some notes on Secret Church, but for now, I don't have my workbook with me. I wanted to give you the opportunity to check out the book Radical and read it before April 6th- Good Friday of 2012. That is when the next simulcast is going to happen. Again, you can learn more about Radical here, and more about Secret Church here.
If you are comfortable with the way you are living- don't pick up the book or do secret church. But, if you are looking for something to rock your world, prove to you that living a life just being good isn't what God is asking, but living a life FOLLOWING Jesus is what He commands- grab the book- devour it before April 6th and let yourself be RADICAL FOR JESUS!

Crazy, busy life!

2011-11-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

I don't know how other people keep up. I am not keeping up with anything: housework, studying, work, nothing. There are moms who have much more going on. I need their secret!

This past weekend, we had a couple from our church get baptized. We had such a great time. The water had to have been freezing cold and I think they might be a bit crazy, but I think it was awesome for them to get baptized together. It was a gorgeous day. We enjoyed some good snacks and fellowship. We arrived early for me to capture some pics of the kiddos. The first one is my P52 week 44.

Tonight, I am sure excited to be attending Secret Church at a friend's church. I will post more about it, but he is the author of the book Radical, which I posted about here. I would like to post my notes one day. It was the best book I have ever read. So moving.

43/52

2011-10-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

Another short post. Just haven't had the time to sit down and write. I have so much to write about, but little time. Here is my week 43 photo along with another one.

This photo was taken with my pop up flash. I know- shame shame when you have a perfectly good speedlight....BUT, I was in a hurry, and loved the moment. Hey, that's all that counts anyways right?!?! Maybe later tonight I will have some time to write...until then- P52-

42/52

2011-10-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

Just realized I have TEN weeks left of this....which means Christmas is right around the corner! AHHHH!!! I have ONE present bought....

Anyways, here is my P52 photo. Ruthie finally lost that tooth!!! She was so excited! I could tell the moment she stepped off the bus she lost it b/c she had the biggest grin ever!!

Taking a stand

2011-10-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of being a part of this stand that our church is taking. It's very dear to my heart. See, our church is located on the same street that our high school is. Also, we have little league soccer, t-ball, & football games on the same street AND the local pool. So, our church is on a busy road. Which, is a GOOD thing. We are displaying banners to send a message. We started the week that school started. Our first set was on alcohol. This set is on sex. It's important because not only do we have lots of high school-ers seeing these signs, but we have lots of families reading them as well. I pray that these signs make a huge impact on our community.

Praise You In This Storm

2011-10-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

This song has been our motto for the past few weeks. It just seems like we can not get ahead of anything. satan is attacking, but we are retaliating with God. We are part of His army and will not allow him to win.

It's been a struggle for sure. First off, our fridge quit working. The freezer was doing ok, but not the fridge. We were waiting to figure out what it was, but Randall was working, so he had LITTLE time to work on it. We finally figure out the problem. They thought they had a used part, but nope. We had to order it new, which meant we were going to have to wait 3 more days. We were living out of the ice chest, but all our food was at our amazing Grandad's. I was so thankful (and still am!) for that man! It was hard b/c first off- I HATE cooking. Second off, I HATE planning what to cook, and third off- I had NO clue what food was at Grandad's. Needless to say it was tough. I found myself in tears at many times. But, I remembered there are people all over the world who don't even have an ice chest, let alone a house to live in. I praised Him for my blessings, but I also praised Him for my trials. Sure, it wasn't easy, but when you have God on your side, you will WIN.

We have a family retreat coming up. I am soooooo stinking excited about this. It will be at the same place we have our women's retreat (more on that later!). The best part- TRAVIS PLUMLEE is our guest speaker. This man is awesome. He is a bit hard to digest at times, but he speaks the truth, and if you listen you will be moved...no doubt about it. The bad part- Randall has to work. Yes, satan is attacking again. But, we are going to stand strong and try to understand why Randall can't go. I can promise I will share every.single.detail to Randall.

Friday night is gonna be one of the best nights ever!!! Ruthie, some from our church, my aunt, cousins, and I are attending a CHRIS TOMLIN concert! WOOOO HOOO! I can not wait! I wish Randall could attend, but again, he has to work. I am so thankful for a hard working man though. Such an awesome man of God I have!

Please be praying for us during this time. No, trials are never easy. Yes, I fell short many, many times, but I always had the Holy Spirit working in me, helping me know it will all be ok. When tough times hit- remember- PRAISE HIM.

P52 updates

2011-10-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

So, I failed at week 39. That makes my second week of failing at P52. Not too bad for me to be honest! I have truly enjoyed doing it. With that being said- here is week 40 & 41!!!!

This face is saying "NO WIKE IT MAMMA!" I made a friend's bean recipe that night, and well, Randy was NOT too fond of it!

Did a photo shoot last night with a friend and her family. Ruthie and Z are good buddies. We ended up putting them in their tutus and letting them play. This was one of my favs b/c they both have a true smile!

A First!

2011-10-04T17:40:00.001-07:00

Ruthie has a LOOSE TOOTH!!! She's so excited. It's almost there!

A Camping Trip

2011-10-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

Let's just say our weekend of camping did not begin, nor end like we expected. But with two kids, what can we expect right?! Although, it was all our fault!

Friday, I took a personal day and I was *supposed* to finish packing for the trip. I had the bright idea to go car shopping instead, just to look. Randall had a dentist appt in the same town, so I figured we could look, head to his appt, then head home. WRONG! Of course, we found two vehicles we really loved. We have decided to get a vehicle for Randall, and trade in my truck on a mini-van (GASP!) We test drove 3 different vehicle and settled on the '08 Ford Taurus that we really love. We weren't able to get the minivan, but the guy is still looking for the right one. Well, that took ALL day. We ended up picking Ruthie up a bit early from school to get ready, then go back and get the car.

We realized we left the air mattress at church. I wasn't sleeping on the ground! So, Ruthie and I headed to the campground, and Randall and Randy went to get the air mattress, which was way out of the way. We arrived only about 3 hours later than we wanted, so the first night was a bit of a mess. We did enjoy it though. It was a bit cold, but managed. We realized we didn't pack Randy a sweater for that morning. So, we left our stuff there and drove back home (not a Wal-Mart or anything else nearby). Grabbed a few things, forgot more things and went back to the camp.

Randall's mom, sister, brother-in-law, and niece came by for a cookout. Thank goodness b/c they brought the MANY things we forgot! We had a great time. We took the kids to the playground and had a blast.

That night, we went to bed and woke up twice to rain. Randall woke me up at 5:10 and said, I don't want to pack this thing up in the rain, let's go now. I asked him to let me sleep longer. He woke me up again at 6:00 and we packed up. I was a bit bummed b/c it BARELY rained, but we did get home, get unpacked, cleaned up, and rested for Sunday night service.

While camping, we took a hike and Ruthie found a love for muscle shells. I didn't bring my camera along and I am kicking myself for that. We took them home, cleaned them out, and painted the tops. It was fun! Ruthie and Randy both took some big falls while we were there, along with Randy shutting his finger in the car door. It was a mess, but we had a really good time. The kids were both pretty well behaved and we had the campground basically to ourselves! It was truly a blessing to get away from modern conveniences. I have tons and tons of pics to share, so I am gonna try to do this without overloading you!!!

Note to self for next camping trip:

Remember bikes, little cars and trucks, band-aids, paper towels, and foil!

Aiyaya...37/52 & 38/52

2011-09-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

Falling behind again. It's just soooo hectic. One day I pray I can slow down.

Anyways, here are week 37 & 38 for my project 52.

This one may seem a bit mean, but man oh man was he mad! He did NOT like Ruthie and Simon jumping while he was on there. He just threw a fit, so I saw fit to grab my camera and snap!

Week 38 had to come from our camping trip! I had a hard time deciding b/c I took lots of photos, but I went with this one. Ruthie and I were waiting on Randall and Randy, so I decided to set the timer and snap a quick pic of me and my baby girl! She loves those nerd glasses. She hardly took them off.

There will be plenty more photos from the camping trip later, but for now, I need a shower and my bed!!

Another week has passed....

2011-09-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

and I feel like nothing has been accomplished! I have been super busy in photography and work. We aren't even doing any after school activities, thank goodness!! Photography is going great. I have lots of people wanting photo shoots. It is really tough for me considering I have two kids and work a full-time job. I still enjoy editing though. As you can see here, one night, we were waiting for Randall to come home from work. I had just finished a photo shoot. I couldn't help but do some quick shots of Ruthie for her kindergarten photo shoot. We had good light, and plenty of time. Plus, it was a gorgeous evening. I had to edit a few and post here.

She is still loving K and Randy is definitely loving preschool. I am so thankful. Ruthie was never easy to drop off until K, so it's a big surprise to me that Randy is good with it. I am soooooo grateful that they work so well with him in the potty'ing area. Man oh man is he giving me a run for my money. It's almost like he went totally backwards, which is super stressful. He never has accidents there, and occasionally he has them at home.

We are doing a new study in youth class (I help) on Wednesday nights. It's called "Not A Fan". It's been really great to see how God works in youth.

Randall, the kids and I might be making a huge adjustment to our lives, but I can't discuss all the information here. Maybe soon. I just ask that you pray for us at this time. Thank you. Now, for photos of my big K-girl!

Just love this one of her silly-self!

And these are just some simple ones I was dying to do.

Oh, and head on over to my photography blogsite and check the precious baby boy I was able to take photos of! My good friend's baby who is totally giving me baby fever.

http://qrsphotography.blogspot.com/

36/52

2011-09-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

I made it on time this week! So proud of myself! This week, I had a hard time choosing, but I am going with this picture, b/c I fianlly caved to let her get feathers in her hair. She looks so sweet in this picture. I love this girl to pieces.

I have some more photos to update, but I will get to that either later this evening or tomorrow after church. Hope you all have an amazing weekend!

Kindergarten News + 35/52

2011-09-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

Ruthie is LOVING Kindergarten!! I am amazed at how well she is doing. I am soooooo proud of her b/c she has received the Principal's Award for good behavior, always listening, and being polite. That makes me sooooooo proud!!! Although home doesn't reflect that behavior, I still want to brag on her. She's growing up, that's for sure. The other night, she had her first night of "homework" and she was estatic! I want to make that my P52 photo. She's just too cute!

Not much else is going on. Randy is doing great at daycare, which totally makes my life easier. Work is going well. Not really "into" it this year, but hopefully it will get better. My heart is at home where I feel as though I should be, but that doesn't work for our family.

Randall had the opportunity to preach this morning. We enjoyed attending a new church and hearing him share the gospel. So proud of the man I married. Funny how our lives began and how they have completely changed, but only for the better. I can only thank God for that. Such a blessing!

Life Is Precious + 34/52

2011-08-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, we had a memorial service. To kick off the service we put 4,000 crosses in our church lawn to represent the 4,000 babies aborted daily in the U.S. Four thousand is quite a large number. Too large. In fact, this was refered to a Holocaust. That was well said. It breaks my heart to think there are precious babies in Heaven b/c they were unwanted by their mothers/fathers. Although abortion is highly disliked, the wonderful thing is- God FORGIVES. Yes, He does. He is one amazing God. If you have experienced this, please know that God loves you and forgives you. A sin is a sin. He cast your sin as far as the east is from the west.
Our crosses represent the life that those babies lost. We had so many people out helping. It amazed me b/c we had coaches bring out their players and helped us out. We had people from all different denominations. It wasn't as hot as it has been, but it was still nasty hot. Everyone was sweating, but everyone was there doing this for the right reason. I was amazed. It was so nice to see the community come together like this and take a stand.

Even the young ones were able to lend a helping hand!

This man amazes me. He is not the healthiest, yet he was out there working just as hard as anyone else.

I love this one b/c it's Randall (l) and my nephew (r) hammering away on a cross representing an aborted child now in Heaven with Jesus.

Probably one of my favs. I just love the view and the thought that our community took this stand.

I am so proud to be a part of West Park Baptist Church. If you are around the Ozark area, please drive down Hillbilly Drive (same road the high school & public pool) and look to your right. You will see the 4,000 crosses in the lawn. We are trying to bring awareness to the community.

"Hi Gei-ki!"

2011-08-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

Randy definately loves his silky (or blanket). He prounounces it "gei-ki." He has to have his "silky" (as we call it) to go to bed. He also loves to it just snuggle and watch tv with. It's so cute.....to me. Randall doesn't think it's too cute, but if he would have witnessed what I saw today- he would think differently. Yes, I realize he is 2 and he carries a blanket, but oh well. He's fine.

I used to think any silky would tie him over. Mainly b/c we had three and we just switched them out. Well, we have lost 3, bought a few more to replace them, and lost those as well. So, we were down to one. Apparently that one has taken over. We had him a Thomas one made, but it doesn't do the trick. Anyways..... this is what I heard today as soon as we walk through the door.......

"HI GEI-KI! HI! HI GEI-KI!"

Sooooo cute and sooooo sweet. He missed his silky! He has another one at school, but this one stays home. I just love this little guy. It's the little tiny things in life that I love. If I would have been off in my own little world, I would not have experienced this.

(The reason this last one's color is a bit off is b/c I didn't use my speedlight. I just upped my ISO but wasn't pleased, so I quickly put my speedlight on.)

A few things about myself....{MeMe}

2011-08-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Robin over at Robin's Nest to do a list of ten things most people don't know about me. This will be tough....

1. I actually don't mind cleaning the bathroom. Weird I know, but it's something I like to be clean, so I like to be the one to do it.
2. I LOVE to sing and dance, but there is NO way I would do it around anyone but my children. Not even me hubby.
3. I have recently come to realize I am quite shy. Photography is helping me come out of my shell, but when it comes to new people, I am nervous.
4. I love my small town, but at times, I wish I lived in a larger area. Mainly b/c I would have more options when it comes to photography.
5. I could eat peppermints all day long.
6. I used to think I was adopted. Mainly b/c my brothers and sisters would tease me, but I did find myself questioning. Funny now though!
7. I get my feelings hurt quite easily. I can joke around all day long, but I really don't know how to read people, so I am quite sensitive.
8. I find myself having baby fever and wondering if I will ever be pregnant again.
9. I LOVE the show I Love Lucy although I never watch it anymore.
10. I hate dressing up. I wish I could live in jeans and tshirts forever.

Not too interesting huh? I tag Lea Ann, GiGi, Gwen, & Mari.

33/52

2011-08-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

Guess what?!? My P52 this week is my baby girl going to kindergarten. Bet you already guess that! I couldn't help but pull out my camera and attempt to capture this monumental day. She was so excited and so ready.

We walked in and she was just fine with me leaving, which totally makes everything much harder. I gave her like a thousand hugs and kisses. Finally I decided I had better get my butt to work, so I gave her one last (long) squishy hug and teared up. She kept saying, "You are gonna cry Mom!" I just told her no, but I did cry all the way to work. It's hard to leave your baby in a new place. She is usually so shy and not ready to do new things, but she was sure ready for kindergarten. She only cried when we left Randy at preschool. This was the first time since he was just a few months old that she has left him. It was so sweet. Love my precious babies.

Randy also did really well for his first day of preschool without Ruthie! He started a new preschool and he seems to be really enjoying it! I am sharing hi pic and the pic of them together of their first day!

32/52

2011-08-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

My lonely boy. Looks so sad right?! Well, right after this pic, he turned around and stuck his tounge out at me. He's such a BOY! Ruthie had a friend over and they were out playing and he was all by himself. I had to capture this photo. He melts my heart into pieces!

31/52 + a bit of an update

2011-08-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I actually posted about something other than my P52 photos. Things are going good here. Getting ready for summer vacation to be over with. I am not doing well with that. My baby girl is going to kindergarten and I have to go back to work. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job. I just love my babies even more. I would give anything to be a SAHM, but that's not possible.

The kids are doing good. Ruthie is beyond excited to start kindergarten! She is counting down the days.
Randy is just a typical little boy. He's fun and such a mess. He always makes me laugh!
Randall is working hard. Sometimes a bit too hard. He comes home downright exhausted. Makes me feel bad, but he does like this position much better.
I am working on the house. We are discussing selling and moving. The lady we bought the house from is thinking about buying it back to keep in the family. (Her husband and father helped build the house) I honestly don't blame her. If she doesn't, we are going to do a bit more work to it and get it ready for people to actually come and take a look. My upstairs is wayyyy beyond a disaster. I never go up there. It's like an old farmhouse and it's never had any flooring or sheetrock, so it's just the natural wood up there. We have just been putting extra stuff up there and now it's a mess. There are TONS of clothes and toys. We decided to box it all up and give it to my brother&sister-in-law to have them sell to raise money for their youth group.

In a way, I am excited about moving. I am a clutter-collector. I want to have a nice clean slate. I will definatley miss our yard, especially since we enlarged it. But, I know that home is where we are, and no matter what I will be happy. I have the best husband ever, and two precious gifts from God.

So, if you are willing to lift us up in prayer and ask God to show us His will, please do. I will keep you all updated on our situation!

Here's my P52 shot. Meet Molly. She's our new baby. She's soooo sweet!

30/52 + GIRL Cousins Sleepover!

2011-08-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

Summer has just flown by and I am struggling so much with the thought of Ruthie going into Kindergarten. Man on man, I am NOT ready. She is, 100%, but I am not. Any ideas on how to help me get ready? Seriously, anything will help.

Here's my P52 photo for week 30.

We had a GIRL cousin night the other night and it was sooooo much fun! I never get to see my precious nieces from my brother. I finally got to keep them both overnight! Haley got to join us as well! We had a blast. We giggled, rode the four wheeler, jumped on the trampoline, sang songs, did fashion shows, ate good food, watched a movie, and the best part- we prayed together! They are all such beautiful ladies! I enjoyed every.single.minute. It was hard to let them go back home. Especially since they said they wanted to stay with me FOREVER! Plus, I am the best aunt ever! (That's what Josie said anyways....for that moment!) This was honestly one weekend I will never forget. I pray they don't either. Here are some more photos from that weekend!

On my piano, we spell out what we are thankful for. Alexis put "families", Haley put "cousins", and Josie said she was thankful for ME! So, I spelled out "Aunt Sadie" for her! I was smiling from ear to ear and I still am!

Summer Fun + 29/52

2011-07-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

Late....AGAIN! This is how we have been spending our days lately. I usually don't like photos of myself, but I began thinking that I need to have photos of me with my babies. I am always the one behind the camera. My precious niece took this for me. The sun was in our eyes, hince the squinting, but it reminds me of all the fun we have at the pool!

And....of course I can't help but add more than just that photo! Ruthie is five years old. Her cousin Simon is 1.5 years older than her. He is much much more brave when it comes to the pool. Ruthie has always been really careful. This year, I guess she decided to drop that... She has begun jumping off the diving board! At the beginning of this year, she wouldn't even jump off the side on the shallow end! She isn't even using her life vest anymore! Soooo proud of her!! Randy of course loves to "sim" (swim)! He loves goggles and just swimming everywhere. This year, we have had a blast at the pool. In fact, we are going back tomorrow!

28/52

2011-07-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

I keep failing to post these on time. I feel like I have been so busy lately, it's hard to get these posted on time! I realize that most of my P52 photos have been of Randall lately, but I couldn't help but post this one. I took him outside for a few quick photos, and THIS is what he gave me. What a nut!

27/52

2011-07-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Ready to see the cutest thing ever?!?!? Here he is:

My offical P52 photo is the very first one. I couldn't help but post these all on here. I had to make a storyboard! Isn't he adorable?!

We have been super busy here, me with photography, and Randall with woodworking. It's been crazy, but it's been fun. We have been hitting the pool quite a bit lately too! Hope you are all having an amazing summer!

26/52

2011-07-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

Another week has gone by. I am barely picking up my camera and I am kicking my butt b/c of it. I do have a bit of an excuse- haven't felt well and we aren't going anywhere...

But, I did take a few pics this week, so I am putting one of them up. I realize this photo is not the best quality b/c I didn't take the time out to get my speedlight on. Forgive me.....

This little guy lights up my life. There is something about the way a boy places. He just gets into a mode and he knows exactly what he's doing. He has stolen my heart.

New Ministry

2011-06-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

I am excited b/c our church is hosting a new ministry we are going to learn about. It's going to teach us to be more comfortable in our faith and help us learn to share the gospel with knowledge and confidence.

How many people out there aren't 100% comfortable with sharing their faith? **raising my hand!** I mean, it's easy with some people, but then there are those that I don't feel prepared enough to share with. Well, this class is gonna help just that. I am excited b/c all I truly need is my left hand. Left hand you might be asking? Let me explain.....

You might still be a bit confused. See, what I learned tonight is-
Grace= Free gift, it's not earned or deserved
Man= Sinner, can not save himself
God= Merciful and just b/c he has to punish us for our sins
Christ= Both God & man, He died on the cross, rose from the dead, paid the penalty for our sins, purchased us a home in Heaven.
Faith- not head knowledge or temporary faith, but true trust in Christ Jesus alone.

See, basically that is the steps of sharing the gospel right? Of course there is a lot more, so I have only touched the tip of the lesson. But, I can say that I am so excited to start this ministry! I can't wait to continue blogging about it.

See, at the beginning of the lesson, he asked us to write down at least ONE person we want to see saved. He also challenged us to share this with someone this week. I figured blogging about it, I can share it with more than one person in the virtual world, but I can also share it with someone else!

Let me know what you think!

Lazy days of summer

2011-06-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

What are you supposed to do on hot summer days? Visit Grandmama & Pappy's pool of course! We always have a blast! The boys are constantly doing crazy tricks off the diving board, while my two kiddos play in the shallow end and relax. Soooo thankful this pool isn't too far from my house. To make it even better- our kids get some good G-mama and Pappy time!!!!

My nephew Alex doing his crazy tricks!

COUSIN time!!

Randall's not too fond of the pool, but he doesn't mind a nice cool dip every now and then!

Ruthie and her HayHay!

My Randy boy being a turkey as always!

Sunbathing while making "drinks" (Pepsi and Dr. Pepper) for everyone!

My nephew Simon dancing on water! Love this shot of him!!

25/52

2011-06-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

Another photo completed for my P52. I have truly enjoyed doing this. It's fun during the summer to capture summertime photos.

Although I adore the photo of Randy, I am choosing Ruthie's photo as my official P52 photo for week 25. I just love the water spraying everywhere!

Randy has been sick since we got back from camp, but I think today has been the first day that he's felt decent. I am happy about that. I hate seeing my baby sick.

My friend Joyce who I posted about here, is only 30 weeks pregnant. Baby Caleb is wanting to come out to the world and join them, but as you know, it's not time at 30 weeks. Please keep them all in your prayers. She is at home now, thank goodness, but the doc said if she goes into labor again, he is not going to stop it. She needs constant prayers. Please pray.

Church Camp 2011 + 24/52

2011-06-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

This photo basically sums up our amazing experience at camp this year. Last year, I wasn't able to attend, being that I was in Honduras. But, my amazing husband took our two kiddos last year and was the male counselor. This year, I think we more than doubled our amount of campers! We took 31 people, 5 being adults. We were beyond blessed!

We arrived a bit late Monday morning, but it was still ok. Our kids were able to attend the first class. Ruthie and Randy went along with us. We knew it might get a bit stressful, but we would much rather allow them to experience camp too.

Bro. Travis Plumlee was our speaker. Talk about one AMAZING man of God. This man brings it. He knows his stuff and definately loves the Lord. I was blessed to hear him speak at our revival this year, so I was thrilled I was given the chance to hear him speak again. He preaches on all topics: marriage, courting, purity, depression, and raising kids to name a few. I read his book on raising kids- and it changed my parenting a lot.

We had one of our youth saved, and 3 rededicate their lives. While we were there, we had two brothers have a "Come to Jesus" meeting and they grew so much closer together and closer to God. I was beyond blessed to experience this.

It is so amazing to see God work in the lives of younger ones. These kids have to suffer through too much. Way too much. It breaks my heart to hear what some of them are going through, but we have to have the faith that God will deliver them. I know He will as long as they follow His path. I pray for each and every one of them.

Sunday morning worship- we had the youth bring camp back to the adults. They did just that. On the last song, the youth went down into the crowd, grabbed their hands and we all worships together. It was amazing. Lots of tears were shed. We also had one young man give his life to Jesus at the end of the service! AMAZING!

23/52- just my babies

2011-06-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

My camera hasn't been picked up too much lately. I have been busy getting ready for this weekend + next week. This weekend we are headed to Silver Dollar City and then Monday-Friday, we are heading to church camp! I am so excited. Last year, I wasn't able to attend camp b/c I was in Honduras. Randall took both kids and went. Ruthie had so much fun. I have never seen her so excited about something. She won't quit talking about it. So, next week's P52 won't be posted on time. But, I am sure I will have a photo to post when I get back.

Here is this weeks: Lazy days of summer. Cuddled up on the couch watching some morning television.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, so not "wordless", but it is Wednesday. Haven't done one of these in FOREVER!

21/52 & 22/52 of my Project 52

2011-06-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

I am lacking on posting these on time, but I can say I TOOK them on time! With everything that's happened lately, I am surprised I caught week 21 b/c I just grabbed it at the last minute. Here are weeks 21 & 22.

Here's my boy with snot, dirt, and food. Such a boy.

This one was taken while we were waiting on Randall and Randy to get home from somewhere. I am not 100% happy with this one, but I am still working on the processing.

Newer edit. I like this one a lot better.

Still not set....

Denning/Etna Tornado

2011-06-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a long week and I wasn't directly affected by the tornado. On My 24/25, 2011, a tornado ripped through two towns that mean a lot to me. That day at work, a co-worked told me I needed to go some place safe for the night b/c it was supposed to be the worst night of storms yet. My brother who lives about 1.5 hours away, was telling me to be prepared as well. They were predicting it to hit his town, not ours.

I get off work, head straight to my house and pack up clothes for the night. My Grandad (well, actually Randall's Grandad, but I claim him!) has an amazing cellar. He has it so nice and clean and he even has electricty down there along with a bed! I told Randall I think we better stay there until we know what the storm plans on doing.

The kids and I lay down in the living room and fall asleep while G-dad and Randall stay up watching the weather. They wake us up around 10:30 and we headed to the cellar. We were down there just talking and listening to the local radio station. About 11:30 the reports were coming in that there was a tornado down in Etna. Etna is where my aunt, uncle, and grandpa live along with my uncle's business. My sister and her son were also there for the night. I was scared to death. You see, there are not many houses in Etna, it's a small town. So when the report said a house was hit in Etna, all I could do was pray. I was in tears constantly trying to get ahold of my uncle and sister. About five-ten minutes later, reports are coming in that there is a tornado in Denning, which is where my Mom & Dad live. Five minutes later, the tornado is heading North to Harmony which is where my niece and nephew were. I was so scared. All I could do was pray. My brother calls me telling me that he was on the phone with my Dad telling him to take cover and then the phone went dead. He jumped in his vehicle and drove to Denning. Randall leaves the cellar and takes off to check on my mom and dad. Finally, my uncle calls and tells me they are all ok, but their house, Grandpa's house are damaged, and the business is gone. Finally, I get a call from my brother saying he got ahold of my parents. But, he also tells me his in-laws are trapped in their house as well. Luckily, they were rescued. I called my niece and nephew and they were all okay as well. Needless to say, it was a horrible hectic night. But, I can say the good Lord was watching over my family b/c everyone is safe and fine. Yes, my uncle and Grandpa have some damage to their house, but it's liveable. My uncle is having to start from scratch to rebuild his business.

The towns of Denning and Etna are pretty much leveled. There are still people without power. Each town lost one person, one being a single mom with a precious 4 year old, and the other being a mom of an 11 year old boy. This was a fatal and scary tornado.
Thoughts and prayers for these towns are appreciated. Things are getting cleaned up, but that just might be the easier part. It's the rebuilding of lives that might be the hardest.

Here are a few videos:
Tiny Town Of Denning Decimated By Twister
Etna Tornado Damage

8 years

2011-05-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, believe it or not, we have been married for 8 years today!

Today, I am not as skinny, a bit more stressed, but so much more in love and so blessed! It's been an amazing 8 years, and I pray the good Lord allows us many, many more years.

I will update more later, but for now I wanted to let my readers (if I have any!!!) know that I haven't been on b/c two local towns have been hit HARD by a tornado here. We were without power for 3 days. My family is all safe, but it came super close to my parents house, and too close to my uncles. It took out his garage and completely destroyed his business. Times like this, it's hard. We have been out helping as much as we can. Both of these places are dear to my heart. One is my hometown and the other was basically a 2nd home to me. It is so sad to see all the devastation around here. I will make a post about it later, but tonight I want to end on a happy note.........

Randall and I met at my boyfriend at the time, little sister's birthday party. I became single that night, and Randall picked up the pieces! We have been happily together ever since. We were both 17 when we met. We were very immature, but sooooo in love. He proposed after two weeks (YES, just two weeks) and of course, I accepted. We were married 9 months later. (No babies involved at this time!) He graduated one weekend, I graduated the next, and we got married the following weekend.

We moved into a little falling apart shack in Etna (which is now destroyed) and we loved it. We finally bought the house we are in now and found out a couple months later we were expecting! Ruthie came along at the age of 21, and then Randy at the age of 24. We are so blessed to have the simple life we have now, and we owe all our blessings to God. He is good!

Randall-- I love you with all my heart. I am so blessed to have a God-fearing husband like you. You are the leader God wants you to be and I couldn't be happier! Thank you for the best eight years of my life!

Week Twenty {Project52}

2011-05-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

I almost posted this picture in the last post, but I decided to save it for my P52 photo. I know it's not the most perfet silhouette, but I love it the way it is. It's Randy up on his daddy's shoulders. I was working on capturing a silhouette, and I can't wait to try again soon!

Perfect Spring Evening

2011-05-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Finally, we had some spring weather Monday night. Lately, it's either been chilly or quite warm for this time of year. Not Monday night, so we took advantage of the weather. We headed outside around our campfire ring and enjoyed ourselves. We roasted hot dogs ("got gods" by Randy), s'mores, and just enjoyed each other. It was so nice to relax and not worry about how clean (or more like how dirty) my house is, or what time it was, or what to watch on tv. We just enjoyed nature.

The kids loved it when I spread out the blanket. They rolled around on it, laid on it, and snuggled on it. Later that evening I was soooo happy I brought it out b/c it did get quite chilly. Ruthie and I snuggled on the trampoline singing songs while Daddy and Randy tended to the fire.

The kids weren't too fond of the smores, which I find odd. They would rather eat the ingredients separate. Randy also discovered a new sport- marshmallow flinging. He loved putting them on the stick and flinging them. Silly boy!

I couldn't resist adding in a few more photos of the kids.

Week Nineteen {Project52}

2011-05-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

This week, I didn't pick up my camera much for myself. I had a photo shoot on Tuesday, but that's on my blogsite.

I was trying to find the perfect picture. I was going through the ones I had taken, and this is the one I wanted to share.

This picture is of one of my best friends. She is so dear to me. When I came to West Park, she was very kind to me and we became great friends. She is there for me and understands me. She listens to me, and can tell when I need to talk. That's what friends are for. We even went on a great adventure together to Honduras last year. Talk about an experience. We left that airport BAWLING our eyes out b/c we were leaving our babies. Speaking of babies, she is pregnant! I am beyond thrilled for her. It's been a long struggle, but she has some amazing faith, and God has brought her through the rough times. She is strong and I can NOT wait to meet this little guy. I pray that he is healthy. He is such a little blessing already! Joyce, I know you will probably kick my butt for this, but this post is all about you! Love you! Thanks for always being there. God gave me an amazing friend!!!

In honor of Mother's Day

2011-05-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

I am going to make a post on mothers!!! Imagine that huh!?

I know that I JUST made a post on my mom, but I can't help doing it again b/c she is one special woman.

I was able to enjoy a day with my mom, sisters, aunt, cousin, nieces, nephews, and my kids. We went to visit my niece, eat lunch, and shop at the all. Yes, it was hectic and a bit stressful, but what should we expect with kids and shopping! Those two words don't belong in the same sentence, let alone a day together! On a more serious note, I truly enjoyed myself. It's been a looooong time since I have been out with just girls. I was even able to buy myself something! MIRACLE!

In honor of Mother's Day, I want to post a list of why my mom is so wonderful!
1. She taught me about Jesus. What can I say?! That's the number one reason!
2. She taught me how to find the right one and stick with it even through the hard times.
3. She taught me how to raise my children right.
4. She taught me to be patient. She DID wait 11 years for a pool!
5. She taught me to pick my battles. You KNOW she had to with me!
6. She taught me to love my children no matter what. Betweent the five of us, she went through a lot!
7. She taught me to be simple and love the small things in life.
8. She taught me to work hard. My mom was NEVER lazy. She has always worked her butt off.
9. She taught me that I could be whoever I wanted to be.
10. She taught me to stick up for what I believe in.

I could go on and on. I am including another photo of my mom. I hope she doesn't mind her photo being on here.

God has blessed me indeed.

I also have some amazing sisters,, mother-in-laws, and sister-in-laws that have taught me how to be a good mom. I love you all. AND, b/c I can't post without showing off the precious two who made me a mom, here are my babies.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all you precious moms out there!

Week Eighteen {Project52}

2011-05-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

This week, I actually had quite a few photos to choose from. So, I narrowed it down and I picked this one.

There are many reasons why I picked this one. Mainly, it's because this is where I found my true self. I had Jesus before I went to West Park, but little did I know how much I was missing. The Holy Spirit is here, and I am ALWAYS in a good mood when I am here. I love my church family so much. We are so blessed to know the people who go here and we are also blessed to have a preacher who is not afraid to step on toes and deliver God's Word! His wife's pretty cool too! She a fun, happy, God-loving woman!

I am going to add some more photos to this post just b/c these were the others I have taken this week.

Randy loves to play with Ruthie's silly bands. So crazy how popular this little things are!

T-ball season has begun! Finally! After 2 games being cancelled due to rain!

Randy cheering for big sis!

Smiling for Mommy!

Ring Pops make ballgames more fun...and MESSY!

SUPER SWEET moment I caught on camera! Love my precious gifts from God!

Radical

2011-05-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, a dear friend and co-worker introduced me to a book titled Radical by David Platt. She was telling me about it and asked me if I wanted to read some of it on her Ipad. Of course I did, it sounded very interesting. Little did I know what an impact it would have on me. The thing is, I am only half way through with the book, and my heart is so heavy, so full of a desire to do everything and obey my God.

My issue is, where do I begin? The book talks about all kind of different ways to help. My mind is racing with all kinds of ideas: help out a homeless shelter, provide food to the needy, buy clothes for the needy, sell my items that I don't need, pack up and move to Honduras. Seriously.... reading this book changed my outlook on everything. I am soaking every single bit of the book up, taking notes along the way, passing them on to Randall. I think I might start blogging about some of the notes as well. Maybe those posts will help others.

The book talks about being Radical for God. Here in America, we don't even understand what being "radical for God" means. We think sitting in our padded church pews, in an A/C or heated santuary that costs more money than most people outside of America make in 10 years, for 1 hour (4 hours for those who attend Sunday School, Sunday night, and Wed night) with a parking lot full of millions of dollars worth of vehicles, is radical. Um.....not so much. We seriously have it all wrong. We think we are doing what's right when we upgrade our phones, our cars, our clothes, our everything. We also think that giving some money in the church plate and donating our clothes to the local shelter one time a year is enough. I am not saying this isn't good, but is it RADICAL!? When Jesus said to sell all your goods and follow me, he didn't mean sell what you don't want and come with Me. He meant everything.

So, my question for the people who read this blog, what are you doing that is Radical? I want some ideas. We live in such a tiny town ( not saying it has to be here in America) and I would love to make an impact here to begin with. I can't wait to start this journey. Share with me please! I am going to be praying hard about this, and I pray that you do too. GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS BOOK!

Week Seventeen {Project52}

2011-04-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

We have had some really bad storms lately. This last one was pretty rough. We had tornado threats all around us. We kneeled at our couch and asked for God's protection. He protected us and kept us safe. We were supposed to have 100 mile/hour winds, tornadoes, and tennis ball sized hail. All we received was lots of rain. Praise the Lord! Afterwards, we all ran outside to see the double rainbow. God's promise after the storm! God is soooo good! This photo doesn't show the double rainbow, but this was my favorite of the bunch.

Although we were spared through the storm, Alabama and some other places were not. They are in our prayers.

Mothers

2011-04-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

I recently did a post on fathers, and tonight I am being led to post one on mothers. When I took this photo of my parents, I knew exactly how I was going to use it on here. I was going to put my beautiful mother's photo up here, and brag on her!

Being a mother is one of the hardest job ever, but it is such a priveledge. Think about it, God is trusting you to raise His children. What an honor! My mom is amazing. She has always had a great ear for listening. Trust me, I was NOT the easiest child to live with. I was the baby....a bit spoiled. But, I can say that my mom taught me about the most important thing in the world- salvation, and how to get salvation- through Jesus. I remember her telling me that in order to go to heaven- I have to ask Jesus into my heart. I did. Thank goodness I had a woman of God as my mother.

My mom was and still is one hard working woman. She works too hard in my honest opinion. She is a very patient woman. She did wait 11 years for the pool of her dreams! She taught me how to love my children and she taught me to be picky when it came to the man of my dreams. She married a wonderful man. Of course, they had rough times, but she stuck through the hard times and they have a wonderful marriage. I can only dream Randall and I will still love each other that much when we are that age.

Being a mother is such an honor. I look at my precious babies every day and wonder how God could trust me to raise two precious children. My prayer for them is that one day they come to know Christ.

Thank you mom for raising me right and teaching the ways to be a good mother. I love you!

Week Sixteen {Project52}

2011-04-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

I have to admit.....one of my favorite ones of my babies together. For now. I LOVE these two!!!

Blessed

2011-04-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

It is wayyyyyy past my bedtime, but I am up, and I am so full of joy right now.

We had a great time at church tonight. I sit in with the youth and we are doing a study of the book Crazy Love- GREAT book by the way. Anyways, after we were finished, we were asked to go into the sanctuary wtih everyone else.

We all gathered at the altar and talked about how hard it is for kids these days. Their lives are so much harder than it was for us. They have so many more struggles. It shocks me to hear/see what these kids go through. After our pastor spoke, we prayed for all the children. From babies to college students. God was there. He is touching every single precious head there. He is so good. Afterwards, we headed to eat and had a great fellowship time with our church family.

We are so blessed to have the pastor and pastor's wife we have. They are so easy going and amazing. They even came by Ruthie's game last night just to say hi and watch for a bit. That was so precious to me. I love that my children are being raised in God's house and they are being prayed for by so many different church members. We are beyond blessed. I just can't think of another word. West Park has changed our lives for the better!

Week Fifteen {Project52}

2011-04-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

For this week's P52, I went with the newest photo of my handsome hubby. He is actually wearing a sportcoat in this photo! SHOCKER! He dressed up for his last sermon and I HAD to grab a picture of him. I am so in love with this man and I know that God has blessed me soooooo much! Isn't he so handsome?!

You Loved Me Anyway {Lyrics}

2011-04-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

I have posted before about how lyrics to songs can touch me so deeply. In fact, today at church, a dear friend sang the most beautiful song. The words were so moving. It reminded me of this song by Sidewalk Prophets. Please, read the words to this song.
"You Loved Me Anyway"
by: Sidewalk Prophets

The question was raised

As my conscience fell
A silly, little lie
It didn’t mean much
But it lingers still
In the corners of my mind

Still you call me to walk
On the edge of this world
To spread my dreams and fly
But the future’s so far
My heart is so frail
I think I’d rather stay inside

But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
How You love me
It took more than my strength
To simply be still
To seek but never find
All the reasons we change
The reasons I doubt
And why do loved ones have to die?

But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
I am the thorn in Your crown
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway
I am Judas’ kiss
But You love me anyway

See now, I am the man that called out from the crowd
For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking ground
Yes then, I turned away with this smile on my face
With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace
And then alone in the night, I still called out for You
So ashamed of my life, my life, my life

But You love me anyway
Oh, God… how you love me
You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
You love me, You love me
You love me, You love me
How You love me
How You love me
How You love me
We walk along on this Earth here in America feeling so safe and secure. We go about our day to day lives feeling as though we are able to do anything. WHY do we feel like that? Because of God's grace. If it weren't for Him, we wouldn't be able to live like we do. Yes, things are getting worse, but as long as we know and have God, then it will all be okay. See, I know where I will be spending eternity. I get to see streets of gold and I have a home in Gloryland.
Why do we get so wrapped up in the worldy things? Everything has to be upgraded. Cars, phones, TVs, houses, clothes, shoes, computers, everything. Why is that? Why not save that money and give it to someone who TRULY needs it? Why not put it in the offering plate? The world is what is causing America to go downhill and we are just following along.
If we based EVERYTHING in our lives around God, things might actually shape up. Church is a great place to start. Don't get me wrong, going to church will not save you, but it sure teaches you how to live right and get right with God. Going to church does not just consist of going on Easter and Christmas or a Sunday morning here or there. Go everytime the doors are open. Trust me, if you do, you will see a difference.
If you actually read the words to that song, you would see that even though we weren't PHYSICALLY there when Jesus was crucified, we were there. We were the ones nailing His wrist on the the cross. We put the crown of thorns on His head. We were the ones yelling, "Crucify Him!" We are just as guilty b/c we live our lives in sin.
I am not perfect. I sin too. I know that I have Jesus and b/c He died, I am forgiven. I just want to live a life that glorifies Him. This song reminds me that I am guilty, but forgiven.

Fathers

2011-04-12T19:04:00.000-07:00

I was searching through Randy's birthday party photos, and I had planned on making a post about his birthday. That was until I saw the photo of my dad, and I felt I need to make a post all about him.

My dad is always one who hides from the camera. He always has his hand up in the photo and he is NEVER smiling. Well, I finally got a camera that can beat him! My shutter speed is just too fast for you Dad!!!

Here is my Daddy half-way smiling, watching my baby boy open his gifts. My dad isn't one who is quick to show emotion, but you can see the love in his eyes, and you can feel it in his hugs.
As a child, I would always want to grab my dad's hands rather than my moms. My moms hands were soft and cold, while Dad's hands were rough and warm. I am odd b/c I like rough hands. I don't even like my own hands to be soft.
Dad was and is a softee. I loved that about him. Of course, it may or may not have got me in trouble as a young girl (getting what I wanted) but I guess I turned out okay! I can see it now with my kids as well. Especially with Ruthie, even though he would not admit it.

Randall and my dad may not look a lot alike, and they may have some differences, but I think they are a lot alike. They are both kind hearted, loving, HARD working ( my dad has worked hard all his life, even when his body didn't want him to), and he loves the Lord.
No, my dad didn't always join us in church, but I can tell you that he does know the Lord and he is very educated in the Word.

Dads are the most important role model in a daughter's life. A lot of men think they are more important in a son's life, but I believe it's in a daughter's. If the daughter doesn't feel loved and accepted by her own father, where will she turn? To another guy who will give her the attention she does NOT need.

I am so very lucky and blessed to have an amazing father. I am also blessed to have a wonderful husband who is an amazing father to my children. Life hands you amazing people in your life that can touch you in many ways. Randall and my dad may not look alike, but they are two important people in my life.

Think about the men in your life. Is your husband playing the role he needs to in your child's life? Do you need to thank your dad for the way he raised you?

Week Fourteen {Project52}

2011-04-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

Again, another late P52 post, but the photo was taken on time. I want to start posting these on Friday, but time slips away. I had a few to pick from this week. I couldn't choose between my little guy's b-day party, our new kitten, or Randall. Since the last two were actually taken Sunday, the start of a new week, I decided to use the one of Randy. I couldn't pass up this precious face. He LOVED his cake!!

Favorite Things {tagged}

2011-04-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by my friend Robin @ Snips and Snails and Puppy Dogs Tails. I love doing these! Thanks for tagging me Robin!
Here is how it works:

All I have to do is just answer the "About Me" questions

& then pass it on to a few other RAD bloggers!

So here goes it...

A list of favorites

Food: Pancakes. Might be an odd one, but I LOVE pancakes!
Color: Red
Animal: Dogs. I love big loveable dogs!
Dessert: Ice Cream! YUM!
Artist: This is a tough one. I have to say a photographer so either Lisa Lucky or Summer Lyn.
Pair of shoes: My cowboy boots that my mom bought me for my wedding!
Outfit: Um, Can I say jammies?! HAHA! I would have to say jeans and a t-shirt
Skinny Jeans: maybe if I was skinny!
Brand: anything cute and affordable these days

Perfume: Right now, I use Pink and something from Victoria Secret. Normally, I don't do perfumes, but I like the ones I got for Christmas.
Accessory: Earrings
City: Oh, SUPER easy- Meadville, MS!
Hobby: Playing with my camera, playing with my children, blogging, internet surfing, enjoying the weather outside, and church activities

Beauty Product: Mostly eye makeup
Holiday: Easter and its' fast approaching!
Snack: This is a hard one....I love fruit and veggies in ranch.
Movie: Letters To God- MUST SEE!
Song: Either "When God Ran" or "Where You Go, I'll Go" or "Lead Me"
Guilty Pleasure: Ice cream!

I tag Lea Ann!

Frustrated...

2011-04-06T15:04:00.001-07:00

Ok, I give up for tonight. The only thing that is bothering me is how faded out the background is. I am happy with everything else. Just took me FOREVER!

************************
Please be patient with me. I am trying to figure out how to re-do my blog, and I am struggling. I need to work on it after church. For now, at least it is read-able! It wasn't a few minutes ago!

Trying to find a way to help others

2011-04-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

Blogging has really opened my eyes to all sorts of doors God can open. I have wanted to use my blog not only as an online journal and a place to document my photography, but I want to help others.

I stumbled upon a site that was asking for other bloggers to be guest posts. The Lord laid it upon my heart to ask if I could help out. Heather told me yes, to type it up and send it her way! I was very surprised when she posted my post! I was so glad that my words were able to help someone else and I pray that they continue to. The funny thing is, I prayed about what God would like me to post about and He told me. So, when Heather recieved the post, she was surprised b/c God was talking to her about the same thing! Isn't HE amazing?!

Anyways, here is my post- http://www.serveinlove.net/2011/04/02/time-in-the-word-or-in-the-world/

But, I would love for everyone else to check out this blog! - http://www.serveinlove.net/

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!!!

Week Thirteen {Project52}

2011-04-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

The post is late, but the photo isn't! Here is week thirteen's photo. I couldn't resist grabbing my camera at this moment. They were curled up on the couch watching tv. They are the sweetest. LOVE these two!

God has truly blessed me. Just look at these two sweet faces. I love my life.

With God...

2011-03-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

Everyone has heard the verse- "With God all things are possible" right? I was reading it tonight b/c I was needing some help from God. Struggles and tribulations are usually when this verse is used.
To be honest, it hit me in a different way tonight. Probably b/c I read above it and below it.
This verse is talking about salvation. The Lord says that it's hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. There are many people out there who actually believe it's what you have in this life or what you do in this life. That's not the truth.
People, the Lord goes on to say that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. That doesn't sound easy at all right?
What does that mean to you?
His disciples were a bit confused, maybe you are too. They asked, "Who can be saved?"
What Jesus was saying (see, the red words ARE the coolest!), is that with man, it is IMPOSSIBLE, but with God it is POSSIBLE. If you want to enter the kingdom of God, then I suggest you to search your heart and see what God is leading you to do.

You see, salvation is only through God. It's not through man, good works, or what you have here on Earth. The ONLY thing you can take to heaven is your loved ones. That is it. Period.

I was struggling with some things tonight, and I went and searched for this verse. God did lead me to fall on my knees and hand it over to Him. Give it all to Him and believe He can handle it. But, He also gave me this lesson in which I felt lead to post.

Just had to share...

2011-03-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

This was in our Baptist Trumpet (our BMA newsletter) and I scanned it b/c I didn't want to lose it. I wanted to post it here as well. We are so blessed by our Lord God Almighty!!!

Free Family Night!

2011-03-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

Need something free for family night that provideds tons of fun!? Try this! The other night we promised Ruthie a fort in the living room with all of us sleeping in there for the night. She did NOT forget! So, as soon as we were finished with dinner, we made our fort! We went the easy, lazy, comfortable way out for our beds- we just drug our mattresses into the living room! Randall strung some string across the living room and we draped sheets over them and pinned them to the string. Easy right?! We have the instant movie access through the WII and Netflix- great buy if you ask me. Rocky road ice cream adds some sweetness to the night. Add some tackling (and crying) and snuggling and you have the perfect night. Hereare some photos to enjoy! (Some are really noisy and it's b/c I had my ISO ALL the way up b/c I didn't think I had any batteries for my speedlight...I finally got frustrated, and looked for batteries and found some. As you can tell, the photos turned out a bit better after that.)

Week Twelve {Project52}

2011-03-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

There were so many to choose from this week, but I had to go with this one. Such a precious person in my life! She's growing in the Lord and watching her do so brings such joy to my heart! Love you Haley!

Progress

2011-03-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

I am excited to post this. Ever since we have lived here, most of our land has been used for our horses. Well, we sold two of them last year. I have always wanted a larger yard. We own four acres and honestly, WE only used about 1 of them. Buck, our horse, has 3 of them. It's frustrated me that our horse has more land than my kids! Randall and I have always discussed expanding our yard to the West. It would add about an acre more of land for the kids to play.

We finally started the project! I am so excited b/c we bought the kids their F150 to drive around in and once we finish the land, they can go enjoy more land! Since it's spring time and summer is approaching, outside is where we want to be. This will allow us to have more room to roam. I am hoping I get a picnic table soon from my hubby! (since he is into wood working and all!)

Here are some photos of the progress we have made. Since I took these photos, we have about 4 more strands of barbwire. We haven't taken down all the fence to where it's easily accessible, but we plan to on Randall's next day off. After that- all that's left is to brush hog it!! Luckily, we have a great friend who will do it for us!!

The kids loved playing out there in the truck. Here they are giving each other kisses through the window!

Here we are at the back of the property. The house is at the far left of the photo.

Ya, typical boy huh? He LOVES Daddy's truck!

Spring Break...

2011-03-20T18:33:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for Spring Break. Not only is it a break from work, but it's spring! I love spring. I am so happy to be able to stay at home with my babies for a whole week!

We had an amazing church service this morning. Marching for the Master means we get to hear a different speaker every Sunday. This Sunday, our pastor and some more church family are over in the Philippines. We had the privledge of hearing a newly ordained pastor and he was great!

Since our pastor wasn't here, we didn't have church this evening. I don't like it when we don't have church, but we made the best of it. We went outside to enjoy the GORGEOUS weather! Ruthie was dying to play in the waterhose, so away we went!!! Let's just say they had a blast. Randy was not sure about it at first, but by the end, he was ready to splash and play!

Week Eleven {Project52}

2011-03-16T19:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, another P52 photo. I am doing a lot better now that the weather is nice!!
The first one is my official Week 11 P52 photo. The other is just thrown in there b/c I did it for a challenge! The reason I picked these flowers this week is b/c Spring is my favorite season. It brings so much joy after a long cold winter. I love Easter b/c of the event that took place on that day. Where would we be without Jesus?

Wanted to say that Sunday night went really well. Everyone is so supportive of him preaching and it means more to us than words can say. It's not going to be easy at times, but the Lord is in control. I trust Him fully. Please continue to pray for us through this transition time. Who knows how long this transition time will last b/c we don't know where He might lead us!!

BIG news....

2011-03-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

Randall surrendered his life to preach! I am so blessed to have such an amazing, godly, caring husband. God has truly blessed me. Only the Lord knows where our lives will go from here, but what we do know for sure- whatever door he opens, we will come running through. We are more than excited to announce this. He's been struggling with the calling for about a year now, not sure what the Lord was calling him to do. This past Wed, he knew. He was at a men's retreat and God spoke to him. Tonight is his first sermon! Ruthie is so thrilled along with the rest of us. Please be praying for us b/c once you get on a spiritual high, the devil comes flying at you ready to atack!

Week Ten {Project52}

2011-03-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

We have had such beautiful weather lately and I have failed at getting the camera out. But, yesterday, Randall and the kids picked me up from work and said, "Let's go to the park and have a picnic!" Sounded like a great idea to me! I grabbed my camera knowing there would be some great photo opportunities.

This is my week 10 photo for P52.

Randy enjoyed the swings!

Loving Life

2011-03-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

It's been quite a while since I posted. I was trying to post more often, but time has gotten away.....again. Imagine that huh? I can honestly say though that things are going great right now. I know that's the perfect chance for the devil to attack, but I trust that the Lord is beside me protecting me.

We've been super busy again. Where do I begin....
Thursday night kicked off our "Marching for the Master" where the month of March is filled with different preachers and our revival. Thursday night was the men and boys Beast Feast. Yes, this is a very southern thing. Whatever they kill, they cook it and eat it. Yum right...um, not so much. I am glad it's a men and boys thing and no ladies are invited!

Friday night was the start of our revival! We were privledged to have Bro. Travis Plumlee in our church delivering God's Word. What a mighty fine job he did. He talked about stress. It was awesome!

Saturday DAY was the Hillbilly Youth Explosion. Whew....that was a long and ENJOYABLE day. It was about standing tall in the hall with Jesus! I think it hit home with a lot of kids.

Saturday NIGHT was revival again. It was amazing and exactly what I needed. It was on anger. Some of you may know me and I might not come across an angry person, but I fall short with this sin. Not that anger is a sin, but how I react is a sin. I am admitting to it and I am taking control of it. God knows how to lay the right thing on my heart at the right time.

Sunday was another great day. The lesson was over forgiveness. I think this hit home with everyone.

Bro. Travis taught me so much in the short amount of time he was here. I honestly can't explain to anyone just how much it helped me. I bought his book and I dove in and have learned so much. I can say that even though I have only been reading it for 3 days, Ruthie and my relationship has improved more than words can describe. I am so thankful! I have changed a lot of things and I truly believe I have become a better mother!

Some of our youth at the altar....such an amazing thing to see!

My niece Haley and Ruthie!

Week Nine {Project52}

2011-03-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

This one was taken yesterday on a gorgeous day. My sister commented on FB that it was peaceful and that is exactly what I was going for!

You can see my other eyelash shot here on Week One of P52.

My babies

2011-03-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

are always so much fun to capture doing their thing. Randy loves to build towers and the funny thing is, he knocks them over with his belly! What a hoot! I just love this little man!

A friend told me about the site Sheppard Software and Ruthie is addicted. No, I don't let her stay on the computer all the time. I think I was cooking or doing laundry at the time, and her little toes caught my eye. She was too cute!

Please ignore our stained couch!

Randy has been sick today and yesterday, so I have called in. Tomorrow and Friday, Randall is off, so he will have them. I am hoping he kicks it soon. I hate it when my babies are sick.

I took my P52 photo for this week, but I am waiting to share it until tomorrow or Friday. I might get one I like more!

Crazy busy...

2011-03-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

but.....it's for God, so it's worth it!

Two weekends ago, Randall, Ruthie, Kristen, Corey, and I headed to Wynne, AR for a Lay Witness Mission (LWM). This was our second mission like this. Last summer, a man from our church approached Randall and asked him if we would like to be the youth coordinators for some of the missons. The first trip, we had no idea what to expect and were BLOWN AWAY by the youth. We enjoyed it so much. Words can't even describe it. This time, we had another amazing trip. I didn't get any photos, but my friend Kristen did.

Last weekend, we had a southern gospel quartet convention in Plumerville, AR. We took our youth and our youth did a drama for them. I am a huge fan of southern gospel. I was blown away by quite a few quartets! The youth were amazing and so well behaved. I wish I could share some photos of the youth, but I don't feel as though I have permission from parents to share on here. Although, I will say I finally got Facebook, and I have truly enjoyed chatting with my family, church family, mission family, and friends. I did post the photos over there, but you have to be a friend to view them.

This upcoming weekend, we have a revival coming up. Randall will be taking Randy to the Beast Feast Thursday night. Friday night- revival, Saturday day- Youth Explosion, Saturday night- revival, and Sunday day- revival! SOOOO EXCITED! Please say a prayer for our church that the Lord works in amazing ways!

So, that's what I have been up to lately. Time is going by so fast. The weather is warming up, so I am hoping to get some photos taken this week for my P52.

I will share this photo of my niece (who I am soooo proud of!) joining the drama. She's holding a sign that says "HEALED."

Here's my two handsome men!

Week Eight {Project52}

2011-02-24T18:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, I failed on week 7, so I am skipping it. I am frustrated with myself, but we have soooooo much going on, it's been hard. We are super busy with the youth and we just got back from a mission trip! It's been great. I will update more later, so for now, I am just posting my P52 photo.

I had to grab a photo of Miss Ruthie on the laptop. She is loving that we have internet now. I haven't found many online games that she is able to figure out all on her own, so I would LOVE some sites that are 5 year old friendly!

Five....yes, five....

2011-02-16T18:57:00.000-08:00

That's right...my baby girl is five years old. Where in the world has the time gone? Seriously, this is rough stuff right here. Being a mom of a five year old makes me feel OLD, even though I am only 26. She's my baby, she can't be five....

I guess I have to deal with it right? We celebrated her fifth birthday at our house. I like to have it at the church so I don't have to clean, but it was booked, so.....I cleaned like a mad woman. Ruthie was super excited about being five and having her party. She's so easy to please. I don't go all out for decorations. We bought Hello Kitty napkins and made homemade cakes and she was thrilled!

Anywho....here's some photos of her celebrating. This post is very bittersweet for me.

Week Five & Six {Project52}

2011-02-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

I know it's late again. The photos aren't late, just the post! School has been blocking blogspot, so I had to wait until we finally got internet at home. Yes, you read that right! We have the internet at home again! WOO HOO! I am so happy to be blogging at home!

Anyways, here's week fives p52 post!

Cold and sickness kept us from going outside, so I quickly grabbed a shot of our lab Jack playing in the snow. He LOVED the snow!

Also, week six needed to be posted as well. My baby girl turned FIVE on Thursday. I have yet to get out there and do her five year photoshoot, but that will be coming soon. For now, this photo will hold the spot of week six of P52. I will be sharing photos of her bday party later.

Week Four {Project 52}

2011-02-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

Little late, but it still works right?! We had snow, and I have some sick kiddos at home. Please say a prayer. :)

Just how great IS our God?

2011-01-27T06:09:00.000-08:00

This could get long.....

Our pastor's wife watched the Louie Giglio video with us at the youth retreat. She was very moved by it and asked our pastor to have our congregation watch it as well. Last night, I had the honor of watching that video once again. Let me tell you something, I have no idea how you can watch this video and not know that God is amazing.

I want to start off by saying that Louie is one awesome speaker. He gets your attention and he knows his stuff!

He starts by talking about the universe and how God created the Heavens and the Earth. Genesis 1:1. In Psalms 33:6, it says, "He merely spoke, and the heavens were formed and all the galaxies of stars." All he had to do was breathe the stars. Isn't that awesome? For us, stars are just these little twinkling things in the sky at night. Have you ever researched them? Do it. It's amazing to hear just how massive these things are! Louie compares the Earth to a golf ball in the video. He talks about the size of the stars. He also shares some amazing photos of the stars. I want to share a few with you as well.

This one is of Canis Majoris- the largest star we have found. It doesn't look that big, but it is. Here are some facts I found online. (site)
VY Canis Majoris is the largest star known to man. It is a red Hypergiant, located in the Milky way and measuring between 1800 to 2100 solar radii. One Radius is equal to the current radius of the Sun and it is approximately 432,450 miles (695,500 kilometers). VY Canis Majoris is so large that if our Sun were replaced by it, its surface would extend to (or maybe even pass) the orbit of Saturn. In Earth terms it would take 70 000 000 000 000 000 (70 quadrillion) Earths to fill up the VY Canis Majoris.
Does that not make you feel small? Very small? Sometimes in this world, we consider ourselves huge compared to other things. This video shows you that we are just a tiny dot that you can't see with the naked eye in this universe. God is HUGE!

Amazing right?

Ok, there more. Have you ever seen a photo of the core of the Milk Way galaxy?
Let me do the honors.....

Yes, that is a cross up there. How can you not believe in the Almighty God? How can you not know that HE created the Heavens and the Earth? How can you not believe that HE breathed out the stars of the universe?

And the thing that tops it off.....Are you ready for this???

Ever heard of LAMININ? Uh, me either until this video. Let me give you the definition.
"Laminins are major proteins in the basal lamina (formerly improperly called "basement membrane"), a protein network foundation for most cells and organs. The laminins are an important and biologically active part of the basal lamina, influencing cell differentiation, migration, adhesion as well as phenotype and survival.[1]"

Ok, that's what I was thinking too.....WHAT?!?! I have no clue what that means! Let me just sum it up from what I remember. It's a cell adhesion molecule. It's what's holding us all together. Still, I was a bit like what is this guy talking about?! Well, that me tell you that we have laminin all over in our bodies. You might be thinking, Ok, so I have laminin in my body...what's the point? Let me SHOW you what laminin is.....Ready for this???

Yes, this is laminin. It's all in our bodies. Little crosses in our bodies. OUR CREATOR knew exactly what He was doing!!! I was in awe watching this. I got the Holy bumps. How can you not believe that was are created by the Lord God Almighty?! I felt soooo blessed to have watched this video. It's so moving. I suggest you find this video and watch it. I mean it. Have your church watch it, your youth, your family, anyone and everyone.

I am going to leave you with an image I found on google images.

JUST what I wanted!!!

2011-01-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

It's another Monday. I am curious to know how many we have left until summer!

We had a good weekend. Saturday, we ventured out into the city and enjoyed ourselves. I got a bit overwhelmed toward the end. The kids were fussy, the lunch we ate was horrible, and it was wayyyyy past naptime. In fact....I don't think either one had a nap that day!

Randall has been asking me what I want for my birthday. I don't know about most people, but I feel as though my birthday is just another day. It's not a big deal to me. I get more excited about my kids birthdays. I tried to convince him that I didn't want anything, but he knew better. He was holding out on me. While we ventured out into the city, he stopped at Best Buy and made me get the one thing I have been holding out for....a speedlight for my camera. My house has CRAPPY natural light, so I have had to use my camera on auto inside and the photos were....well, not the greatest! The reason I said he MADE me is b/c he seriously did. I wasn't going to get it b/c I hate spending money on myself. Ruthie was asking if we could get the Hello Kitty game for her DS. Randall told her (this is wrong!!) that she could as long as I got my speedlight. Seriously!? Isn't that mean?! How could I tell her she couldn't get it? So, I went ahead and got the SB-600. I was over the moon, but I am still terrified of that thing! I have SOOOO much to learn, but I am more than willing. I took some test shots, and even though I had no clue what I was doing, the photos still look sooooo much better than on auto! Randall is the best! He does love me! :)

Sunday, we started a "Love and Respect Class." I was so excited to see how many people showed up! Randall and I have sat through it before and it helped our marriage SOOOO much. We are in a much better place now, closer to God, and I can't wait to see what He shows us this time! You can read more about it here. I posted about it a long time ago.

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

I got a new phone (free) and it's a big change from my old phone. Ruthie loves to scroll through the pics.

If Ruthie's playing with it, Randy HAS to see!!

Finally, it was his turn! There's a dice tumbler game and he LOVES it!

This one was just too cute of him eating. He's such a little turkey...a turkey that I ADORE!

Week Three- {Project52}

2011-01-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

Since my last post, I have been having a hard time topping it. Witnessing to my niece was amazing.

We had another snow day yesterday, and I realized I was slacking on my photos for my P52. I went out while the kids and Randall were inside and I captured some snow photos. Here's my two for this week. I couldn't choose which one I liked better!

The sunflare, was just too pretty to resist. I love how the sun is shining on the brush.
The cross was from our preacher saying these represented us taking our country back to God.

One more for Jesus!

2011-01-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

That's right! One more soul saved for Jesus. Who you might be wondering? My PRECIOUS niece! I am so excited. What an amazing opportunity to witness to her! My heart is so full of joy!

Our weekend with the youth was awesome. I truly feel as though the youth is where my heart lies. I love playing, teaching, and growing with them! We have an amazing youth group!

Friday night was the beginning of our youth retreat. Our topic was about being a disciple. It's awesome to me how God can touch me through a youth retreat. We ate dinner, had a lesson on dicipleship, and one thing we talked about was how important an altar is. Our youth leader had some rocks and asked the youth to build an altar. You can see in the photos below the altar and the youth at the altar.

Saturday, we started the morning off with a hike. God provided us with a gorgeous day and I am so thankful. We hiked along the river, learning some of the different names of God. She asked the students to share a moment when God was good to them. Whoever shared, received a block of wood with that name on it. Randall responded to get the kids up and going, and this is the one that he got. He told of how he strayed away, and how God was always there, and that it was RANDALL who strayed, not God.

When we got back, we were supposed to have Kurt Goodwin from EIM and Fastbreak Ministries share with us at the gym, but he was so sick he wasn't able to make it. He was in our prayers, and luckily he was able to share Sunday morning. What a great speaker. Since he was sick, we headed to the gym anyways, and played a few games of basketball!

When we got back, we watched an awesome video from Louio Giglio. What a fantastic speaker! If you work in the ministry- you need to watch this guy. Specifically the "How Great is Our God" video- AWESOME! It was about how God made little us, and how BIG the universe is and all He had to do was breath the stars out. It's a very life-altering video. After watching the video, the youth and quite a few members from the church headed to the cross. If you live around here, you know this cross from the interstate. Well, that's where we headed, to the cross in the night sky so we could see all of what God has created just for us. Perfect ending to the night with the youth. Randall finished us out with some amazing words.

The most amazing thing was, Saturday, I could see the my niece was feeling some confusion. I confronted her a few times trying to help clarify things. I wasn't sure if she was saved or not. Randall and I decided to explain things a little easier. She admitted that Jesus wasn't in her heart and she wanted Him to be, but she wanted to do it at home with her mom. I thought that was perfect! How sweet! So, we made it to her house and we sat down with her mom, step-dad, and her brother and she asked Him into her heart. Oh my, my heart is overflowing with joy! She is so precious to me and I can see the Lord growing in her more and more!

Week Two- {Project52}

2011-01-14T06:11:00.000-08:00

Week two of P52 was a very, very cold week. We had a snow day on Monday, so that was the only day I got my camera out. Randall, the kids and I went out and played in the snow. I didn't keep my camera out long b/c I wanted to play as well! The first one of Ruthie is my offical P52- week 2 photo. The others are just for fun! They LOVED the snow! Even Randy which really shocked me!

Headed off this weekend with the youth for a youth retreat. Please keep us in your prayers!

Growth can only come with CHANGE

2011-01-11T07:09:00.001-08:00

This just so happened to be our sermon topic on Sunday. Perfect for what was on my heart and mind. God is amazing right?! He knows how to open my eyes right when I need it.

Most of my time spent on the internet is reading blogs. I love reading others blogs. I have a few favorites on the "blogs I enjoy reading" section of my blog. A lot of bloggers have started goals for the new year. I am usually not one to do goals, since I stink at them, but I thought I needed to b/c I am truly wanting to change so much in my life.

So, after Sunday's sermon, plus the way I have been feeling, I decided to make a few personal, family, and house goals. Of course, I stuck to resonable goals. I could have added one million things to my house goals, but I kept it simple. I won't bore you with all of my goals, but I do want to put some in writing so I have to keep up with it. :)

Sadie's Personal Goals for 2011
* In depth-Bible study at LEAST 4x a week
* Project 52
* Send out a handmade card at least once a month
* Eat a bowl of icecream at least 3x a week- (this one won't be hard to accomplish!!!)
* Get back into college
* Start a prayer journal

Family Goals for 2011
* Do devotionals with Ruthie at LEAST 3x a week
* Family night at least 2x a month
* Child/Parent night one time a month
* Date night at least every 3 months
* Volunteer once a month (The shelter has taken a backseat and we hate that it has. It's something that is very close to our hearts, but with Randall working and now starting school, it's tough)

I think there might be a few more, so I might be editing this tomorrow, but for now, these are my goals. I tried to set realistic goals b/c I didn't want to get frustrated with myself. I want to be more thoughtful this year. I want to do for others b/c we are so blessed and we should do for others. I don't just mean with money, but with time and love. Life is so short. We need to think of others.

When it comes to our children, we don't do a perfect job. Of course Ruthie is pretty smart in the Word for her age, but we could do better. We will do better. She loves Jesus so much, but our love for Him can only grow. And again, growth takes CHANGE.

So, for those of you out there wanting to grow, you have to change. I do. I struggle with finding time to study, but I make time for the Wii. I am not a perfect Christian, but I want to be. I want to be better. I will do better. That's why I set these goals. I don't want our lives to always be on the go. I want our lives to be spent honoring and glorifying the Lord!

Week One {Project52}

2011-01-07T06:14:00.000-08:00

I realized that last year, I didn't do photography for myself. I found myself shooting only portraits of my kids, and not just snaps. I miss those simple snaps. So, this year, I am making a goal to start capturing photos for myself. I want to get out there and use my camera more and think outside of the box. So, I started this year off with a photography project called Project 52. I will capture at least ONE photo a week. I asked Ruthie to go outside with me to do some photos. She was game. (Thank goodness she doesn't run from my camera or I would have been out of luck!) I have always wanted an "eyelash" shot of her. I went for it. I know there are many "eyelash" photos better than this one, but I was pleased with what I got. Most are taken with a macro (I think) and I don't have that, so I used my nifty fifty. Here's what I got and I am pleased! So, this is the start of my P52!
WEEK ONE:

I'm back! (photo post)

2011-01-06T05:43:00.000-08:00

We had one amazing Christmas break. I was NOT ready to come back to work, but it's life and I had to. I do love my job, I just love my children more!

Let's see.....we celebrated with Randall's side of the family the weekend after Christmas break. We had so much fun! Ruthie received a DS- which was the main thing she wanted. Her Nana & Papaw got it for her. Funny thing was, she wasn't sure what it was. We made her read the letters "DS" to figure it out! She's so silly. In the photos below, you can see how excited she was to receive it!

Ruthie had her Christmas play and she was an angel. Randy was supposed to be in it, but he freaked at the last minute! Ruthie did sooooo good. I was amazed at how well she did. I was worried. She's super shy and I wasn't sure if she would go through with it, but she did. They sang "Away in a Manger" and they did sign language with it. What a beautiful song with the hand motions!

We celebrated with my side of the family on Christmas Eve day. We had pancakes (my favorite food) and other breakfast foods. We had a lot of fun. It was one of the first years that I can remember where it wasn't rushed. We just laughed and had a good time! I really truly enjoy getting together with my brothers and sisters. It's a rare occasion for us to all get together, without anyone missing.

Randall was supposed to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Turns out, b/c he had to work overtime the three days before as a fill-in, they let him off! Isn't that amazing! God is AWESOME! They didn't want to pay him the overtime for working his shift, so they just let him off. It's crazy how things work out. It's a gift from God!

We opened presents with the kids Christmas morn. It was so much fun to see our kids both get into it this year. Randy was allllllll about tearing open the presents. Randall and I got the kids a F150 power wheels truck. It was wrapped and sitting in the dining room for about the whole month of Decemeber. When Christmas morning came, they were both ready to tear into it! There's a photo below of Randy tearing the paper off. He had NO idea what was inside. You can also see in the pictures just how much fun, and how many smiles it provided. I laugh so hard watching Ruthie drive. She's not the best, but we all get a laugh out of it. Randy just sits and enjoys the ride!!!

New Year's Eve was a blast as well. We celebrated with our friends Joyce, Kristen, and Steven. They came over with their family and we played the Wii and laughed our heads off! We are so blessed to have such amazing friends! Oh, and Christmas morning we got a big suprise!!! Joyce is pregnant!!! I am so excited for her. I am a bit jealous, but I know that it's not my time, and we might even be finished having children....so I am going to live through her!

My photos are out of order, so please excuse me when it comes to that....

Hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and a happy new year!

Santa love!

2010-12-16T06:37:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would leave you with a giggle for Thursday! Ruthie LOVED Santa this year. Randay....ah, not so much! Too cute though right!?

I will be out until Jan 3rd due to Christmas Break! I am sooooo ready to stay at home with my kiddos and enjoy our time together. I hope everyone has an AMAZING CHRISTMAS!

Problem SOLVED!

2010-12-15T06:27:00.000-08:00

This may sound a little silly, but I am so excited!!! Last night, we had our Women's Christmas party with the ladies of our church. Turns out, Randall was working nights, so I didn't have a sitter. My preacher so kindly volunteered (well, his wife volunteered him!) and I decided I would take him up on his offer. The thing is, Ruthie is not fond of him in person. She loves him and talks about him, but she has maybe talked to him a total of 10 times.....in the last THREE years! So, I asked Ruthie if she would do it for me. She told me no. She was afraid. Apparently, she thought he was going to keep her. LOL! Seriously! I just calmly explained to her that nobody would ever keep her from me. She's my baby girl and that he wouldn't keep her from me. He loves her like a granddaughter. She told me she would go and stay with him. Luckily, he was keeping another little girl too, so I knew that would help with Ruthie staying!
I honestly did not think she would go through with it, but I knew that this was the perfect opportunity for her to get to know him better and feel comfortable around him. She loves his grandsons, and they were both there. Her friend was going to be there too. I wasn't going to leave her screaming and crying. If she started that, I was just going to go home.
We waited on the little girl to get there, and Ruthie did AMAZING! She didn't even cry! I was so proud of her! I knew this was the perfect chance for her to get to know him better and it worked! She was super proud of herself too!
I had a great time at the party. I received a nice glass nativity scene! I LOVE it! I went straight home and put it on my piano!
By the way, Randy could care less who I leave him with. He's fine no matter where we are! There were helmets there for him to put on and he had a ball!

I am so excited that the problem of Ruthie not liking our preacher has been solved!!!!

Whirlwind

2010-12-10T07:15:00.000-08:00

Yep, that explains our lives right now! I don't think I have been at home much this week. Everything is fine, just busy.

Tonight, Randall and I are going on a date. Seriously, when was the last time we had a night together? I have no clue. My friend graciously asked if she could keep both my kids overnight so we could have a night out. Of course I took her up on it. How often does someone ask you to keep your kids!?! Overnight too!!! I'm looking forward to having a conversation with my husband and an uninterupted dinner. Geez, what is that going to feel like? HAHA!
Saturday, we have a very busy day. We have play practice at 9am, Christmas party with the kids at Randall's work at 10am. 3 pm, I have a photo shoot to get ready for. 7 pm, we have a 16th birthday party to attend. We are going to be worn out!
Sunday, we have church and I have another photo shoot. I'm nervous about this one. 25+ people! It'll be interesting!

The kids are doing great. Ruthie is growing up so fast. The other night she went with a friend to the movies. It felt so weird letting my baby girl go to the movies without me. I can't wait until I get to take her to the movies with her friends. Giggle galore! I can only imagine! She's so precious to me. Her laugh is so contagious! She loves her baby brother. It's funny, when one of them is in trouble, they run to each other. Ruthie will baby him, and vice versa. I was complaining about that to my mom. She made a GREAT point- aren't you glad they aren't saying- "haha! Randy's in trouble!" Never thought of it like that. I need to be grateful for these things!
Randy is a wanderer. In fact, that's what my mom calls him. He's everywhere and into everything. It's amazing how much he can get into. The dog bowl, cupboards, pepsi, movies (his fav), the toilet, clothes, shoes, anything! He loves to pull the hangers off Ruthie's closet. It drives me NUTS! I try to keep her door shut, but that doesn't always happen.

I had a cute conversation with Ruthie the other day. She was really upset. She was telling us that she doesn't want to get old, nor does she want us to get old. We were trying to figure out why. She told us that she doesn't want to move out of our house! Isn't that the sweetest thing ever? I just grabbed her and hugged her so tightly. I told her she didn't have to move out if she didn't want to. (I know she will one day, so I can say that!) She has such a precious little heart. She also doesn't want us to get old b/c our teeth will fall out! HAHA! She's really worried about that as well!

Anyways, here's some recent photos. You will see our sweet daughter playing our new (used) piano that was given to us, along with our tree this year! You will notice how Randy is mad at Ruthie, and then all the sudden Ruthie is mad at Randy. But, most of all, you will see how much they love each other! ENJOY!

a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

2010-12-06T06:48:00.000-08:00

That's about the only word to describe it. Another crazy, busy weekend is what we had this weekend! I wouldn't do it any other way though!

Friday and Saturday night, our church held our 2nd annual DSQC (Deep South Quartet Convention) and it was awesome! We were only able to attend on Friday night, but we truly enjoyed ourselves. We didn't get to stay long b/c Randall was exhausted and we had to get up early the next morning.

Saturday, we woke up early to take Randy to my sister's house and pick up my niece to head to our youth rally! We took six youth with us to this rally and we had so much fun! We heard some amazing speakers and we sang some great songs. Ruthie went with us. I am pretty sure she had fun too!

Sunday, we had one AMAZING service. We had two of the groups there from the convention and they sang some great songs! (We had Cross Point and N Him) My favorite song was sung during the invitation. Tears were pouring down my face. We had youth up at the alter, their hearts were pouring out to God. It was amazing. That song touches me so deeply. We are going to buy that cd. The group sings it so well! If you have never heard the song When God Ran, you need to listen to it. You can hear part of it here. It's one of those songs that the lyrics are so much more than words. It's amazing.

We had one awesome weekend. I love church-filled weekends. Makes your Monday sooooo much better! To me, there is no better way to spend a weekend then with the Man Himself!

I also wanted to add that a blogger friend of mine is doing a give-a-way for a carving! I am in love with these! Check out Mari's blog!

Finding the perfect tree!

2010-12-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

We head to my aunt & uncle's tree farm to pick out our tree this year. Turns out, Ruthie's best friend is there picking out her tree as well! So, they played on the see-saw while we waiting for my uncle.

Ruthie: "I don't want to pick out a tree! I want to stay here and play!"

We set out to find the perfect one.
Randy: " Ahodjao hogjdfsoahg!"
Translation: "I found it mom!"

While Randall and I set out looking for it, Randy and Ruthie are off playing around. I try to get them to come with us, and as you can tell, Ruthie was THRILLED!

So, we found our perfect tree, although we don't have our family picture taken by it yet. While we were there, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for some photos of my kids together. Key word there- **thought** Ruthie wanted nothing to do with my camera that day. She just wanted to play. She wasn't happy with me.

While we were out there, Randy apparently thought sitting on the onion plants were fun. Why in the world he wanted to sit on them, I will never know! Look at how silly he looks out there with all the trees. He matches!

We had a great time searching for the perfect tree. The tree farm had a lot of trees to choose from! We usually go big b/c our ceilings are high enough, but this year we went smaller, and I am so glad! We had tons of fun decorating it. I take a pic each year of Ruthie putting the star on. I guess next year Randall will have to hold both kids while they put it on! Excuse the grainy photo. I had my settings set to where I didn't have to use my flash.

A weekend of thanks

2010-11-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

What a great holiday weekend we had! I hope everyone enjoyed family time, eating, and just relaxing inside where it was warm! It was sooooo cold over our break, but it was the right weather for the holiday!

Thursday, my side of the family celebrated Thanksgiving together. It was nice to see everyone again. I only get to see that side of my family during Thanksgiving, weddings, or funerals. It's sad, but true. It's so hard to get us all together. There was about 50 of us I think. Randall had to work, so the kids and I loaded up and enjoyed some good food and company!

Saturday, we celebrated with Randall's side of the family. We had everyone at our house. Randall's side of the family is a lot smaller. Thank goodness b/c I could never fit 50 people in my house! It was just our family for four, his sister, brother-in-law, 2 daughters, and Randall's mom. We had so much fun just sitting around chatting. Afterwards, Ruthie mentioned that we should play charades! Boy was that funny! All of us adults had more fun than the kiddos! It was a blast!

Having Thanksgiving at my place meant I had to clean.... I didn't have a choice, which was actually pretty nice. It felt soooooo good to have a clean house. Randall even said so. I wanted to do a little decorating. I have never purchased any Thanksgiving decorations, so I decided to make my own. The Scrabble idea was in this month's Country Living. I took my own idea and painted them red and added things we were thankful for. The jars have scrapbook paper inside, and vinyl sayings and cut-outs from my Cricut.

Here's a couple of photos:

Lyrics

2010-11-23T07:28:00.000-08:00

Lyrics can do more than just make you sing along. They can touch you deep down inside your heart.

When you read these words, listen to them. It's a prayer written from a dad, but it touches me b/c when it talks about children, it's so true.

Sanctus Real - “Lead Me” by Matt Hammitt
I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

I am so blessed by our Lord to have a man who does lead us the way Christ says to. I love my husband with all my heart. I am so grateful for him.

Stop, Go, Stop, Go

2010-11-22T07:13:00.000-08:00

That's my life, but I love it! Of course, I am feeling it this morning, but oh well. I am having a hard time keeping my eyes open!

Let's see....where do I begin?

We had so much fun this weekend! We had my nephew S stay the night Friday and attend our middle school dance. The kids had a BALL! Ruthie and Randy both ADORE S! Turns out, S has some MOVES! Saturday, we picked up my niece A b/c my brother J has been coming down to help out our parents on some weekends. This time he brought A! Ruthie was soooooo excited. A and Ruthie get along really well. Poor A was in the car all weekend long, but she was a good sport. We had my other niece A's, b-day party, just to leave that one and attend our friend J's b-day party. It was crazy, but so much fun! Sunday we attended church of course. We honored a man who is about to head back to the war. It was a very, very emotional service.

We had to drop of A after church b/c they were headed back to their house. A cried so hard and she made me cry. I miss having them close, but we will have to make an effort to visit them more often. A is such a sweet little lady and so much fun! We grabbed flashlights and as soon as Randy was asleep Saturday night, we snuck outside and we jumped on the trampoline. I sometimes think she only likes us for our trampoline!

All and all, we had a fun-filled cousin weekend. This weekend got me thinking about how much time I have off during the summer, and how little time I spend with my nieces and nephews. I really think that I want to try to do some sort of cousin camp......

See, cousins were a HUGE part of my childhood. I have 2 older sisters and 2 older brothers. My brother J was closer to me in age, so we were closer growing up. This might get hard, but I feel as though I need to explain what cousins mean to me.

We had a cousin named Eli. (You can read some about him here) See, Eli was everything to me. He was my favorite person in the world. I think J and I shared that. I used to think that if I was a boy like Eli, J would have loved me more. Cousins were a very important part of my life. I can only dream that Ruthie and Randy can have cousins like I did growing up. I truly think that I need to step up and be the aunt that always has my nieces and nephews over. I want to have a close relationship with them and I want Ruthie and Randy to have a close relationship with them as well. I had an awesome aunt teach me how to be an awesome aunt. I hope that I can be fun like she is. I could write on and on about how much Eli and M meant to me. I so want that for my kids.