breakfast at the lake. part 2.

We started a tradition last spring and Isaac has been begging every morning to have breakfast on the lake. We also continued our quest for finding new parks by having our morning at Waterfront Park on Lake St. Clair. It was pretty windy, but we had a wonderful, relaxing morning together.You just don't find slides like this that often anymore! Man, was it fast!

local paper

Chris just walked in with our city paper and wanted to know if those were his kids in the picture. Yes they are. Hilarious! It was when we had our circus night at the library.

and in all things... session 24

Things I am thankful for on April 13, 2010...

1. Isaiah 40:8
   
2. Outside grilling
   
3. Creamy nutmeg candle from B&BW
   
4. Hilarious CFL Sunrise Club costumes
   
5. Leftover homemade soup
   
6. Cute twin boy nephews
   
7. Truth
   
8. Oven roasted turkey lunchmeat
9. Veggietale DVDs
   
10. Isaiah 40:29
    

i'm a glutton for punishment

ramblings: no longer a rookie.

I was interviewed.
SO WEIRD!

A girl who wants to be a mom and be in ministry wanted to get my thoughts on it. I laughed when she asked me because almost daily I am asking my mentors how to do it and I wasn't sure what I would have to say that would be that inspiring. Now that it's over, I have to say it was probably more informative for me than her.
The conclusion: I truly love what I do.

I love being a wife.
I love being a mom.
I love being a youth pastor.

One of the questions that was the hardest for me to answer was:
When do you find time to do the things that YOU love to do?
My answer: Everyday.

I may not be able to find much time for shopping or reading like I used to, but everyday my life is filled with the things I love- playing hide and seek with my kids while they laugh hysterically, having in depth discussions about theology with my husband while I am slicing up strawberries, talking to a youth about stepping up while they tell me how difficult it is, etc, etc, etc.

I am almost finished with an incredible book by Christine Caine called "Can I Have and Do It All, Please?" and it has been such a God send. In the 1st chapter she sums up the book by saying "If we want to do this adventure we call life well, and fulfill the purpose God has for our lives, we need to discover what His definition of 'ALL' is, and go after that."

That's the key: We ABSOLUTELY can have and do it ALL... as long it is God's All. It may not look like the life you had imagined when you were 13, and it won't look the person's life next to you, but it will be fulfilling and successful if the will of God is driving every moment and every decision. Don't get me wrong, I would love a couple more hours in the day to look things up on the internet or rummage through the sale racks at Marshalls, but for right now, the things I love to do are the things that consume my day. Thank you God for allowing me to be a part of your kingdom and love the people you love.

Our Summer QUEST

We are on a quest.
I realized this week that although I get really excited about the chance to get the kids outside in the sun, we always go to the same 4 parks. Our goal is to try all different parks this year, ones that we've never been to. It's our summer adventure. We started our tour this morning with Alina at Lynch. Great play area, even better exploring grounds. What a perfect 60 degree weather day!

The kids were SO excited to see flowers blooming!Because I had coupons for 3 free ice cream cones, we stopped at McDs for some sugar... this was against my better judgment right before nap-time.

our quiet, rainy morning

"Every child is an artist.
The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."
~Pablo Picasso~

Jesus is Alive... now everyone be quiet & smile!

Even though we didn't really enjoy the Easter picture process this year, we still enjoyed our day celebrating Jesus! Isaac went to church early with daddy to help set up all the equipment for our Easter service. I think we have a sound-man in training!

The circus was definitely a circus!

Tonight we visited "The Big Top" at our local library. It was packed out and so much fun for my kids. We got to try some of the things that you find at the circus and Isaac was hamming it up... Zoey was pretty entertaining as well.Mrs. H read us some wonderful circus stories and taught us some fun circus songs with actions.

Zoey was a BIG FAN of the songs!

We started our circus act by walking the tightrope.

We then moved to juggling and a balancing act.

Doing the elephant roll. Isaac rocked this out!Excited about our craft and prizes.Enjoying our circus popcorn on the ride home.Finally we went home to make daddy some brownies.

Why are there bunnies everywhere?

The kids LOVED their Easter baskets. They were so excited to have things to play with outside... unfortunately it started raining and they weren't able to use them today. The best part- I purchased both baskets, plus the stuff inside for under $10 total! I love buying things at 90% off the year before and saving it until the following holiday!

why does daddy work?

Isaac: "Mom, why does daddy have to go to work everyday?"

Me: "Daddy works really hard so that he can make money to pay for our house."
Isaac: "I have lots of money in my piggy bank for our house, tell daddy he can come home now."

and in all things... session 23

Things I am thankful for on April 1, 2010...

1. Psalm 105:4
   
2. Ahava Dermud Body Milk
   
3. Coupons
   
4. Dr. Pepper
   
5. Honesty
   
6. The patience of the Lord
   
7. Survivor
   
8. Wooden Cooking Spoons
   
9. That Jesus is alive!
   
10. That I am alive!
    

Happy Egg Day!

We decided to do all of our fun Egg/Bunny Easter stuff today, so that we could concentrate on the really important things throughout the weekend. We made Easter parfaits, had many Easter egg hunts and even dyed our hard-boiled eggs with our new "no spill" coloring kit. It was a very fun day. Happy Easter week everyone!

my green pastures

There are days when I have to schedule in my time with God so that the day doesn't slip away, and then there are days when I can't think about anything other than spending time with Jesus. Today I experienced the latter. As soon as I woke up I wanted to grab my Bible and sit down, but unfortunately because of the events of the day I wasn't able to until the kids laid down for their nap.

I was desperate to read Psalm 23. I'm not sure why it was so important to have my Bible, since I know the chapter by heart, but I had something I needed to see for myself. There were 2 verses that seemed brand new today....

Psalm 23:2,3
"He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul."

For some reason I've always read this verse thinking of physical provision... God, being my shepherd, wants me to not go hungry or thirsty. Today I saw something different. When I flipped through my Strong's Concordance I realized that what I felt God was showing me was right on. God doesn't want to just provide for my needs, he leads me to places of refreshment so that my soul is restored. I needed that today.... the kids had too many time-out sessions coupled with quite a few meltdowns. I need restoration... not a spa day (although that would be nice), not a day of shopping (wouldn't argue with that either), and not even a day just to myself... I need a supernatural leading to bring me to a place where I can hear God's voice above the others. I'm ready to follow my Great Shepherd.