a picture worth a thousand words.

I just never want to forget the sweet things our kids do. And oh how I wish I'd had my camera on me last night.

We pulled up to church and Elijah immediately began protesting going to play in the playroom. We let him stay in service with us (Me, Derek, and Asher) through most of worship, and he started getting restless torward the end of worship so I took him to the room and gave him a snack and he stayed to play with the other kids. I went back to service. 

Not long after, guess who was hungry and wanted to be fussy? :)  So again, I get up and leave and go to the nursery to rock Ash and feed him.  Elijah finds me in the nursery (there are adjoining doors)  He hangs pretty close to me and eventually looks at me and says "mommy, i wanna go to the sanctuwary" and beeline's for the nursery door. I get him to stay and he protests "but mommmmmy, i wanna learn about jesus!"

*melt my heart*

so I finally get Asher situated, and we go back to the sanctuary, Elijah going with me this time. We sit down and get still, and Josh was finishing up his sermon. And praying over people etc and he opened the alters for prayer.  Derek goes down to the alter to pray, and Elijah watches intensely.  Next thing I know, Elijah is asking me to go pray. I nodded at him and he ran as FAST as he could up to his daddy and kneeled beside him, rested his head on the stage and didn't budge. I got up and stood in the back of the sanctuary so I could see him at all times, in case he tried to get distracting, but he never moved. It was THE. CUTEST. THING. EVER.    I really wish I'd had my camera. REALLY REALLY wish I had.

And one more thing I don't want to forget so I'm going to throw it in here...  last night before church we went to visitation for a friend's dad at the funeral home. We take our kids with us, they are very aware of what death is, and what it means, and we don't hide that.  Anyhow, as we're going in the building Elijah matter of factly states.  "I don't be died.  I be safe daddy."   I'm not sure where he comes up with some of this stuff, but he's so smart!

mini me Elijah

 

anyone else think they look alike?  I can't wait to see who Asher looks more like as he gets older. He's already changing so much!

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

Ok, ok so you don't get a chicken dinner... BUT I do have a winner!



Precious 3 said...
I wrote a blog post. I wrote it 5 times, and really feel it should be written again, but it's going to have to wait LOL. But here it is!

http://philippians48myprayer.blogspot.com/2011/06/edify.html


(remind me to tell you a story about this later!)

June 22, 2011 5:27 PM

Congratulations Jen! You've won a $20 credit to DaySpring! I'll email you the code shortly!

And a special shout out to my mom who was the only other person to enter. You rock!

in which I speak about coyotes... (kinda)

Kyley is such a funny kid. I just love her.

Last week she came to me and said "Mommy, I can spell coyote!"  and then showed me her paper. I wish I'd taken a picture of it to post here, but me being the bad mommy I am sometimes didn't think to do so.

Her paper read     " KYOT"   - It makes totally sense. She knows Ky is her name, well the first part at least, and what her nickname is, and so it must be followed by an O and a T to make the ote sound in the word right?

She's getting smart, and figuring things out, unfortunately that word doesn't follow normal rules and cannot be sounded out phonetically, but we are proud nonetheless.


Another Kyley funny I don't want to forget.  The other night we were driving in the van, and Kyley, Krissy, and Elijah were all in the backseat and Derek was next to Asher. Derek looks back at them and starts talking to Kyley about conviction (though not with that word). He said "Kyley when you do something wrong, do you know it's wrong?  Do you hear something in your head that tells you it's a bad idea?"   Kyley responds : "No, I just hear you in my head daddy"  So he then poses the same question to Krissy.  Krissy says " No, I just hear you too" (great minds think alike? and hear voices in their head alike?)

Gosh I don't think the funny things my kids come up with will ever get old. They are so much fun!!!

A boy and his daddy. And a chess game.

I just cannot get this game. No matter what I do, I cannot remember how the pieces move, and what I can and cannot do.  Anyone out there with me on this? How do you know what the right move is?  I often find it very overwhelming.


   



I think we can all say we relate to this sometimes when we think about God's will for our lives too. I have no idea where to go next and it frustrates me, not only in chess, but in life. I like to know where I'm going. Don't you?  But sometimes we need to sit back and let God teach us some things before we can ever make a move to begin with.



If we really begin to realize that we cannot move at all without His guidance and knowledge then we are able to beat our opponent. Just the same as I cannot play chess without asking Derek a bazillion questions and allowing him to guide me, we have to rely on Christ for guidance and instruction.


Are you listening to the voice of God?   Are you hearing his instruction and direction for your life?


I know that I don't want to live my life stuck in one spot though, I want to see God move me. I want to know what He knows and feel what He feels. I want to walk where He walks, and see what He sees.



I want to know that I'm walking in His ways, and I want to know that I'm making the right move.  Sure we may try to lean on our own knowledge and understanding, but what if we're wrong.  What if we make a mistake?   What if we get defeated because we didn't heed the advice and knowledge of our Teacher?


Lord, show me how to walk in your ways. Teach me to trust solely in Your voice and Your direction. Help me to see the move you have planned for me. Lord help me to be obedient and purposeful in my next move. Amen.



And who knows, maybe after looking at it this way, I'll let Derek try to teach me to play again... and try a little harder to understand this time.

Asher is 3 months old! (and a few days)

I cannot believe how quickly time is flying!

It seems like just yesterday he was not even here yet (and we still thought he was a girl!)

Just a few things because I don't want to forget this time.

At 3 months, he can roll over anytime he is laid on his tummy.

He smiles and is just now learning to giggle at us, and I absolutely adore it!

He wants to sit up and see all the time, he loves to know what's going on.

He likes to hold his teething toys and chew on them and he loves to chew his fist also

He is wearing more and more 3 month clothes and we're beginning to have to put away some of his newborn/0-3 now.

He sleeps great at night still, but during the day forget about it!

He loves Kyley, he will smile anytime she talks to him almost.

Elijah still can't leave the boy alone, he wants to pull on his arm or kiss him or pinch his cheek etc ALL. THE. TIME.

I absolutely cannot believe how big and strong he is getting.

I don't want to miss this

I love the way his big brown eyes light up when he smiles.

and I love the way he loves me.

I love when he still asks me to "hold me mommy" when he is feeling down, and how he insists that I put Aasher down RIGHT NOW.

I love the way he calls a bandaid a tattoo.

And grandpa is grandpa, and grandma is grandpa too :)

I love how when he prays, he always wants to pray for Jesus, and for God and won't stop until you say those.

And how when he wants to leave the house, he says "mommy let's go home"

I love the way he shares so many kisses with me, how he jumps on and off of almost anything, and how he knows no stranger.

I love the way he loves his sister, and his brother, each in his own unique way.

I love the way he can fall asleep in an instant (like in Asher's bouncy seat apparently)


   








I love that he embraces life, how he loves others, and most of all loves Jesus.

Man I love this kid.

What's my favorite word???? (Review & Giveaway!)

edify

–verb (used with object), -fied, -fy·ing. to instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually; uplift:

 

If you ask anyone who knows me what my favorite word is, this would be it.  I love to teach my kids, my youth, whoever it is what this means. 

 

Romans 14:19
Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

There are many Scriptures that tell us how important it is to lift each other up, or to edify one another. 

Do you ever just long for someone to say something uplifting and encouraging to you?  What would your life be like if you walked around all day long, everyday, and no one ever gave you any edification?  I don't know about you, but I wouldn't hold myself together very well. One day of just negative things and I'd already be shaken! 

It is so important as a body of believers that we lift each other up. That we encourage one another, and love one another! You never know when one word of encouragement can turn someone's entire life around. A pat on the back to say, hey I've been there, things do get better. A high five to show someone you appreciate the great job they've done. Sometimes all it takes is a moment to brighten someone's day and let them know they are loved. 

I often bring the word edify into conversation with teenagers. I find that at their age a lot of the "norm" is to cut each other down and make fun of one another. What purpose does that serve? Do you not realize how your words affect others? Jokes, whether you mean it or not, hurt. Harsh words, hurt. Even something as simple as not believing someone's motives when they speak to you, that hurts.  I'm sure we've all dealt with this in our own lives. When I've faced these issues in the past, I've let them dig holes in my heart and it's hard to pull away from that. It's hard to forget. Thank God for His amazing grace because He gives me strength to move forward even when I'm hurting the most. He wants us to love each other as He loves us. 

Psalm 3:3

 ³ But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,
         My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

If God loves me enough to lift up my head and be a shield for me, shouldn't I try to do the same for others, realizing that I am not God, I am man, but that I can still strive to lift others up?

If we are going to move forward as a body of Christ, we must acknowledge that there is no place for negativity in our lives. We need to step out of our comfort zone, stop picking on people, making jokes, etc and begin to lift one another up in love.

This month I have the privilege of sharing with you guys a beautiful piece of work that I received from DaySpring, through (in)Courage 's (in)spired deals. Each month they pick a theme for the month, and this month's theme is: Encouragement

I was sent a beautiful picture frame to review that I absolutely love.


   




Isn't it cute?  I absolutely love the bright vibrant colors, and the fun decorative numbers.


I haven't found just the perfect picture of it yet, but I plan to put a picture of my three sweet blessings in it.



It's made of VERY durable material (in fact my 6 year old has already dropped it, without a scratch to be found) And the best part of all, it opens up an opportunity to tell anyone who enters my home and sees it about the blessings God has given us, not just in our kids, but in all things.

In addition to being able to review this great product for you guys, I also was given the opportunity to share something with one of you. One person who comments on this post will win a Coupon Code for $20 to spend at DaySpring!

All you have to do to enter is :

1. Be a follower of my blog

2. Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite way to encourage others.
You must do both to qualify for an entry!

You can get bonus entries for:
Tweeting/Facebooking about this message, leave a separate comment for each (1 extra entry per social networking site)
and 2 bonus entries for writing your own blog about encouragement in your life and linking back to this giveaway! (please post two separate comments)

I will leave this post open until Friday the 24th  at midnight and at that time I will draw a winner using Random.org and post the winner here on my blog!

I cannot wait to hear the great things you guys are going to share with me!

 

 

In full disclosure, I was given this product at no cost to me by DaySpring to review as well as the giveaway code. All opinions within this post are my own.

4 of a kind

My sweet babies are all growing up so fast!!! 

Elijah, Kyley, Krissy, Emily

Missing from this photo is obviously Asher :)

Puzzles & Braids

Kyley wanted me to take a picture of her finished puzzle and put it on my blog. She was so proud that she finished it all by herself (it wasn't a hard puzzle and she's done bigger ones on her own, but for some reason this one made her happy to finish)
Yesterday , I french braided her hair for the first time.  I've tried in the past but he hair was either too short or too thin at the time, we never had any success. It's not perfect but it's a start!


Any tips you can give me on french braiding and cute hairstyles now that her hair is getting longer? 

Babies

This weekend, we welcomed a sweet little girl into our quickly growing family of friends. 

Welcome to the world Juliet Arianna. You are so loved by so many already.

June 12, 2011   

   

Congratulations to Will and Angie Rus. We are so excited for you guys and can't wait to love on her more and more and watch her grow. We love yall!

Kyley's new Bible!

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁶ “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

My sweet little girl, who's learning to read (slowly but surely!) was in desperate need of a new Bible, because the binding was coming off of her old one. That kid can wear out a Bible, and I'm not sure how, but at least she's learning to carry it with her to church and is starting to look things up and try to read them and learn the books in order. 

So far she's learned all the way to Ecclesiastes! I'm so proud! (and her little brother is giving her a run for her money because at 3 yrs old he can already say the first five books in order and almost pronounce them correctly!)

So anyways, we looked all over  for the perfect Bible for her, and she kept coming back to this one, it was her absolute favorite, so we finally ordered it (yay amazon!)

So here are a few pictures of the day she got it, she was so excited to get her own mail!