My husband

I am very blessed. I fell in love with Justin when I was very young. I am thankful that God brought Justin and I together at such a young age. I realize for someone to know who they want to marry when they are 12 years old is very uncommon. Even more amazing that it actually happened. (I was really in 4th grade (about 9 years old) when I first saw Justin and knew I liked him, and I knew he was different.) I was VERY much a "boy crazy girl". When I was 11 and 12 years old, I had many, many little "boyfriends". Maybe that is common for 6th and 7th grade, but I really believe God led Justin and I together when I was in 8th grade as a protection for me. I believe that Justin and I are meant to be together and meant to be married for life. Maybe we could have met when I was 21 and he was 23, and we still would have gotten married and be where we are today, but I think God knew that I needed Justin from the age of 12-21.
I believe that God see's the BIG PICTURE of life, and I believe that God answers prayer. Justin's mom is a godly woman, and she is a woman who prays. She has even told me before that she prayed for Justin's future wife from the time he was very young. Pretty awesome lady, huh! She was praying for me before I ever met her or even knew who Justin was.
I am thankful that my family and Justin's family allowed me to go out with Justin and allowed us to be "boyfriend and girlfriend". We were young, and I am sure for a lot of young teenage boys and girls it is best to just be friends. But, I believe my having Justin in my life protected me from many things that I don't even know about.
Justin is truly my best friend. He takes care of me. He eats whatever I make for dinner and he never complains. He encourages me. He makes me smile.
I am very blessed!

Rhythm of Life

I am amazed at how quickly time goes by. My life is not real "busy". I love what I do. I love the people I do life with. But I am amazed how quickly one month starts and then the next one begins. I am also thankful for a great church that has taught me that it is okay, even good not to be busy. They call it "finding the right rhythm". Knowing when to work, when to play and when to rest. Knowing ourselves and what our mind, body and spirit needs each day to maintain the right rhythm. I have found that I need a lot of down time. I like to be at home a lot. I love to be at home a lot with my husband and children. I like to go into a weekend with nothing planned. I like to have time to bake homemade bread, make green juice, read a book, play dolls, practice spelling words, video tape my kids doing silly things, stop by the side of the road to watch dirty bikers.

I consider it a gift to be able to say "No" to the things that are not "as" important. I am growing each day, and learning what I can handle, and what I can't. I have had many experiences where I said "yes" to something and then when the time came, I was kicking myself for making that commitment. I have done that way too much. So I have learned to guard my time. I say "No" to pretty much everything, besides my family. I see how quickly time passes when your not busy, I can't imagine what it is like if you are.

Easter Week

Easter is my favorite "holiday". For starters, it's all about Jesus. It is truly the foundation of my faith. Jesus died on the cross for us and 3 days later He rose again! I love that my kids get it. They love to talk about this. We have plastic Easter eggs at our home, with 12 different objects in each and a sheet of paper with it that tells the Easter story through little objects in these Easter eggs. My kids love going through the story, and they are so curious and they ask great questions.
Tonight during my special time with Cameron, he was asking me about why his bible is different from my bible and then he pulled out another bible and it was even different from the others. Then he asked me to read him some from this other bible. So as I started to pick a chapter, Cameron said, Mom read about Jesus dieing on the cross. So I opened up to John and we read for about 20 minutes, until daddy got home.
I love that my kids are getting the truth in them at such a young age. I believe God has great plans for each of my children. I am so blessed to be a mom. My greatest purpose in life is to point my children to Christ.

To all my readers, I hope you have a wonderful Easter Celebration with your families! He is Alive! He is Alive!

Bedtime with Miah

I went in to give Miah hugs and kisses and pray with her at bedtime, and as soon as I knelt down by her she looked at me all sweet and said, "You spretty mom." As my heart melts, I say back, "Oh, Miah, your pretty too." She says, "No, your spretty", I said, "Oh, thank you Miah, that's so sweet." Alittle annoyed that I'm not hearing her correctly, Miah says again, alittle more clearly and loudly, "Your spweaty Mom." (Sweaty). I said, "Oh yes Miah, mommy is a little sweaty."

I thought it was hilarious.

It is well with my soul

Pg. 270 Joel Osteen .....
"One of my favorite stories in church history is that of Horatio G. Spafford, a wealthy lawyer and businessman who lived back in the 1800's. He encountered horrendous tragedy in his life. His wife and four daughters were on a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean when the vessel collided with another ship, and all four Spafford daughters lost their lives along with 200 others. Spafford's wife sent a telagram informing her husband of the terrible news. Horatio Spafford booked passage across the Atlantic Ocean to be reunited with his grieving wife. At one point, the captain notified him that they were passing the spot where he believed Spafford's daughters had died. Horatio Spafford stared solemnly at the rolling waves, and that night he wrote the words to what would become a beloved hymn of the Christian Faith: "When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrow like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, You have taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul."

Jalen's class is learning this hymn, they are going on a field trip to sing to the elderly. It is a great hymn. I have been singing hymns to my children a lot lately and they really enjoy it. I even catch them quietly singing along sometimes. That makes me smile. Currently our favorite is "Great is thy faithfulness".

"Great is thy faithfulness, Great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see. Though changes not, thy compassions they fail not, Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me"

Personality

Interesting Word. Even more interesting to figure out what your personality is and that of those you love. I've been studing a lot lately on the four different personalities. I will try to be brief.
1. Otter (Sanguine) - people oriented, extrovert, popular, motivated by attention. Love to have fun, , expressive, inspirational, spontaneous, super people skills, they love a party.

2. Lion (Choleric) - task oriented extrovert, powerful, motivated by being in control. decision maker, natural leader, driver, dominant. Fun to them is anything they decide on. They love to be the hero.

3. Golden Retriever (Phlegmatic) - people oriented introvert, peaceful, motivated by respect and acceptance. Amiable, steady, peace-at-all-cost, likable person. Everybody loves them because they don't rock the boat, they are easy to get along with. You love them unless you need something done, your in a hurry, or you need a decision made! You can't rush a golden retriever. They like to be appreciated and they like to make others happy.

4. Beaver (Melancholy) - task oriented introvert, perfect, motivated by answers and structure. creative and they want things done right, They have the patience to do things with excellence. The world is black and white and in desperate need of fixing to the beaver. Can be negative and depressed (glass is 1/2 empty). Hardworking and they get the job done. Cautious, Analytical. Can never bring themselves to cut corners.

So what are you? Pretty interesting to really study up on these and also helps to understand how you are and how your spouse and children are too.

In our family, after much thought, we think we have two LIONS and two OTTERS, and the jury is still out on our little 3 year old. Currently she is an OTTER/LION. She is too young to know for sure.
So I guess in our home we'll be having a lot of parties and a lot of fun, and since we have some lions we'll be the ones throwing the parties (but it's only fun if it was our idea!)

Oh isn't this fun!!!!!!!!!!!

Swim Suit or Not

Well, after many years of not having a swim suit, I finally took the time and went swim suit shopping. It wasn't so bad..... I found one at Sears, (I know I am now 30 years old, I went to Sears). People told me try Sears, so I did. I bought an "old lady" swim suit, and I actually like it. It is not sporty at all, not skimpy at all, and not really that cute, but it is perfect for taking the kids to the pool and the beach, and the water park. I look like a mother of three.
I like this getting older stuff... I think I am good at it. Someday I will be 105 years old taking my great-great grandchildren to the pool, and I can still wear the same swim suit!

Great Book

"The Treasure Inside Your Child" by Pam Farrel

Love It

Kids do the most amazing things....

It seems like every time I turn around my kids are doing the neatest things. I am constantly trying to remember all the cool things they say and do so that I can tell Justin and others when I can. People tell me all the time, "oh enjoy this time while their young, these days go by so fast." My desire each day is to enjoy and take advantage of each opportunity and each moment with my precious little ones. They mean the world to me, and I truly do savor the moments, the comments, the hugs, the cuddles, the why mommy?, the creative ideas. But no matter how much we try to savor each moment, the days still fly by. Time doesn't stop no matter what we do. I am amazed at how quickly the past 6 years have flown by. I take tons of pictures and video when I can, and I try to replay moments in my head so that I won't forget, and yet I still forget so much. Children are definitely God's greatest blessing here on earth. I am forever greatful for mine and for each moment I get to spend with them.

Yesterday I overheard Cameron and Jalen talking, Cameron wanted Jalen to do something with Math, and Jalen answered, "Ah, I'm not good at that, but I can rhyme, do you want to rhyme?" (I thought it was so funny)

Last week in the van, I told the kids that we were going swimming that night, and they we're all so excited, Cameron shouted out as he raised his hands up high, "Praise the Lord".

Miah calls Jalen, "Lalen" (it is so cute)
Miah says "I love you mommy" at least 10 times a day, with the biggest smile in the world.

(As I am typing this, Miah came out of bed to go potty but didn't make it to the tiolet, so I just cleaned up pee from the carpet and her pj's and cleaned her up and got her back to bed.)........ Now that is funny!

Favorite Quotes by Joel Osteen

"Other people do not determine your potential"
"The same power that raised Christ from the dead is inside you. There is nothing in your life that you cannot overcome; no hurt is too deep that you cannot forgive."
"Happiness is not going to fall on us. It's a choice we have to make. Being positive doesn't necessarily come naturally. We have to make that decision daily."
"There are two kinds of people in the world; givers and takers. Be a giver and not a taker. Make a difference in somebody's life."
"You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you."
""I wonder what our world would be like if every person would find some way to do good every single day."

In his book, "Becoming a Better You", He gives seven Key things.
1. Keep pressing Forward
2. Be Positive Toward Yourself
3. Develop Better Relationships
4. Form Better Habits
5. Embrace the Place Where You Are
6. Develop Your Inner Life
7. Stay Passionate About Life

It's a great book. I could go on for a long time. It frustrates me that Joel Osteen gets a bad rap with so many people. I think most of his critics have really never read his book, and they take some of his quotes out of context. Well, I guess there will always be critics no matter what people do. So often people get taken wrongly, or people see one small clip of someone's life and come to their own conclusion of who they are or what the must believe. Really sad how judgemental we all can be.

Thankfulness

I have been thinking a lot lately about all the things that I am thankful for. The list is long. Really long. I often write down things I am thankful for in my journal, but today I thought I would blog alittle. Today I am thankful for: my loving husband of 12 years, my three healthy, bright, and joyful little ones, my mom, my home (it is truly perfect for our family and we love our neighbors and location), my new van (it's so nice), Justin's new car (great gas mileage), my job (truly amazing), Justin's workplace (Five Star and Manowe), our church (the best in the world), my warm winter jacket (a must in Indiana), my washer and dryer (what would I do without them), hot chocolate (yummy), MCMS (our school), great friends, family life radio, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, and most importantly I am thankful for God's Word, His love, His forgiveness, and His mercy which is new every day.

Michiana Christian Montessori School

This is the best school! We absolutely love it! I would recommend it to anyone. We are so very blessed to be apart of this school. Our 3 sweeties go there and they have wonderful teachers. I am amazed at what my children are learning. I would never had thought to even try to teach them this stuff at such a young age. It is also fun to see my children making friends and learning social skills that are so very important.
The mornings around here can get a little crazy, but it's a good crazy (more like a lot to do in a short amount of time because we all want to stay in bed till the last minute!!). Packing lunches, making breakfast (and trying to get the kids to actually eat breakfast), brush teeth, get dressed and get backpacks packed, prayer for the day and then out the door, is quite a whirl.
But, we have a nice peaceful ride to school and the day is started. Life is good!

Puddle Jumping

Today was a pretty warm day for March 3rd in Indiana. The snow was melting quickly. It also rained for hours today. Therefore, we had puddles. Puddles are a big deal in our home. It only happens a couple times a year, but we try to take advantage of the free fun. After dinner, the kids and I got dressed in boots, snow pants, etc and went out in search of the biggest puddles we could find. The fun lasted only about 25 minutes, but it was all worth it! In this kind of weather you can't stay out too long, once you get wet! Great memories for these little ones and the smiles on their faces will be in my memory forever!

Swimming at Penn

Oh what a great night! The highschool we live by has open swim on Monday and Wednesday nights. It is truly a highlight for our family. The kids were in their swim suits and ready to go by 4:00pm, but it doesn't start until 7 pm. So as they anticipated the nights event, they got out their goggles and life jackets and towels, etc.
They all love the water. Miah is more cautious than the boys, she clings to daddy pretty tight. Cameron and Jalen both swim quite well for their age and they especially love the diving boards. I took some pictures, but unfortunately I don't have a digital camera yet, so I can't share the photos with you all. They are all exhausted and so very thankful for their warm beds!

good to see a friend from the past

We were so blessed to have a friend come stay with us last night. She got here about 11:30pm last night and we stayed up and talked till 2:30 in the morning. I think we could have talked all night. And then we got to visit a little more today before she had to head back to Michigan. Good friends are special treasures. I thank God for them. There is so much to learn from watching the life of others and listening to their hearts.