Chuck N. Cheese

That's what Micaila calls it ;) Of course we know it's E. But come on, it's cute when they make their own words and names and stuff. Like when she says "I loves you". hehe, anyway,....

I just like Chuck E. Cheese b/c it's so CHEAP! and actually a lot of fun. Some of you might see it as like a germ infested frenzy but whatever, I think that place is great. lol.

So here are some pictures from our latest trip there. By the way, we only spent 20 dollars and were there for like 2 hours and got a TON of tickets. You know you love tickets too!!

Classic miniature merry-go-round

Clifford!

Happy Happy Haappy!

Sitting at the ticket muncher. Far cry from the days when our tickets got weighed.

This was the closest they would get to the Chuckster. They absolutely would not go near the real guy.

I don't know any small child that could actually control this horse for this game. They really need to work on the techniques of this one.

These are my favorite! Some Chuck E. Cheese originals. Gotta love it.

How can you not LIKE this place A LOT??? It's just so awesome!

You can be a big kid too!

Agape

I'm doing the Beth Moore Study "Living Beyond Yourself". It's a study of the Fruit of the Spirit. And it is amazing. I highly highly recommend anyone to take on this study. I have learned so much from what God reveals through Beth and the words she has written. One thing I have loved about the study is how much you read straight from the word. When I was younger and did Bible studies I recall a lot of what I learned was written by the person, with a verse here and there. And I love how much Beth refers you to God's word. Because ultimately that's where we need to be getting all our info from anyway.

I am on Week 3 and today did day 4. We've been studying Agape.

First of all one thing I was reminded is how distorted our society's view of love is. It's really quite sad. It's no wonder that our divorce rate is as high as it is, people don't have a clear concept of what love really is. At least not what Agape love is.

I can not tell you how many times I have read through 1 Corinthians 13. Every time I read those verses I am struck by how often I fail to love. I fail to love FAMILY, people who most of the time are easy to love. Not to mention we are called to love those who are hard to love. And then I was reminded by how hard I must be to love at times. It's funny, we can so easily look at others and think "Boy is SHE hard to love!" But HELLO we are too! If we have true agape for others than we will find that 1 Timothy 4:8 Love covers a multitude of sins.

The section of this study that really hit me was the part "love is slow to anger". Lately I have been VERY quick to anger. And Psalm 145:8 says God is "slow to anger and RICH in love". Beth points out that we can not be rich in love and quick to anger. That was very convicting for me because I thought "Yeah, I definitely have not had much love for anyone lately...." How could I? I was too busy getting angry at them. But to think about not being "rich in love" for my children, or my husband, or my parents, or close friends of mine. That kind of hurts to think about it that way ya know. I mean I want to have a rich love for those family members and friends. But I can't, if I'm easily angered. And I was glad that she gave this passage to look up because I think it will be one I memorize. Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. (NLT)

I could use some "deflecting" of anger! You know like when I'm outside taking Jake out and he heads straight for the canal and comes out smelling like a rotten egg. So I hose him down with the nice chlorinated water to clean him up a bit. Then Micaila comes walking out of the house leaving the door open so that Jake can tear through it sopping wet, plowing over Ryann in the process. A gentle word would have probably been better than me getting on (out of pure frustration) to Micaila for leaving the door open.

The other portion that I loved about today was "love keeps no record of wrongs". I am so guilty of this! And most of the time I don't even realize it. Beth said "We humans revel in recording the failures of others". I think this couldn't be more true. How sick is it that it makes us feel better about ourselves when someone else messes up. Not the kind of person I want to be but I certainly have been that way at points. Psalm 119:29 Keep me from my deceitful ways... I believe I need to read that verse every day just to remind myself how deceitful "my ways" apart from Him can really be. It's so easy to view yourself as a good person and look at your "ways" and think you aren't all that bad. But we're all sinners that need the mighty power of God to do anything good.

This is how Beth puts it:

"Beloved, we are incapable of agape! No matter how hard we try we cannot exercise this kind of love. We cannot love the unlovely. We cannot love those who do not love us. We cannot love those who have hurt us.

Agape is divine love. It's only origin is the heart of God. Agape is the love of God expressed through us to others. Actually it is a response more than a feeling."

Beth puts it something like this: With the power of God we can experience the short or long term JOY of OBEDIENCE (in loving others) and the guaranteed effects of His choosing. This causes a chain reaction of feelings far greater than any fleshly love we could muster. And she's right. My best friend and I have a relationship that I believe is built on a foundation of agape. We didn't always "love" each other. Anyone who knows our history can't even understand how our relationship works. But it does and it's beautiful because it was orchestrated by God and with His love. Our relationship is a testimony of the power of God's love through those who act in obedience to Him. And it's pretty amazing. Not to mention, I know that I definitely want that supernatural kind of love that's way better than anything I could ever try to "muster" up on my own! God can provide that and praise Him for it!

Beth's last paragraph says "Agape begins as a response and ends with a feeling". I love that. You can not love someone and operate entirely off feelings. Love is a choice. And when you choose to love someone with God's love and His power that feels pretty stinking good. =)

Casting Crowns At Your Feet

Our church had their summer worship performance and this song REALLY hit me hard. I love how God uses music artists to sing things that you feel like you could never express in words on your own, and then you hear it and you're like "Wow, yes Jesus, that is what I'm feeling." Praise God I can finally put it in words. It's an incredible relief for me to sing things I'm feeling ya know?? Anyway, you can listen to the song and read the lyrics. Casting Crowns rocks it for His glory ;)

Here at Your feet, I lay my past down
My wanderings, all my mistakes down
And I am free

Here at Your feet, I lay this day down
Not in my strength, but in Yours I’ve found
All I need, You’re all I need

Jesus, Jesus, at Your feet
Oh, to dwell and never leave
Jesus, Jesus, at Your feet
There is nowhere else for me
There is nowhere else for me

Here at Your feet, I lay my future down
All of my dreams, I give to You now
And I find peace, I find peace
Here at Your feet, I lay my life down
For You my King, You’re all I want now
And my soul sings…

‘Cause I am free (here at Your feet)
All I need (is at Your feet)
I find peace
We’re at Your feet
We’re at Your feet

And I am free (here at Your feet)
All I need (is at Your feet)
I find peace
We’re at Your feet
We’re at Your feet
We’re at Your feet
We’re at Your feet

Here at Your feet
I lay my life down

No cookie cutter kids either

I have a big problem with beating myself up over little things. So I'm writing this to any of you who struggle with the same thing. Like I said in a previous post, we are INUNDATED with other peoples views, opinions, and perspectives. EVERYONE thinks they are right about everything and know what's best for everyone. Not only are we subject to it when we are in person interacting with others but now we have email, facebook, blogs, tv, and the whole rest of the Internet to tell us "If you aren't doing it THIS way, you're wrong."

I am very sensitive to thinking people look at me and wonder "what the heck is she doing with those kids!" What I'm doing, is trying my best to raise them in the way I feel God wants me to. And it's definitely been (and still is) trial and error, process of eliminating this or that, and finding what feels right in God's eyes.

So in regards to children:


We are all going to raise them differently. And we should, because each child is different and each parent is different. There isn't one single method out there that would work for every single parent on the planet. There are all kinds of books on the subject of child rearing and I've read a few myself and incorporated things I've learned from them. But I firmly believe the one ultimate source we should all resort to for information on ANY topic is the Bible. And looking at how God instructs us to train up our children.

Example: Spanking might work for one parent and one child but then might be completely counterproductive for another. Some kids need a little switch on the hand or hiney here and there but some just need to be stuck in a corner for time out. But the parent can decide what is best and doesn't need someone else telling them how they should raise their child or have someone looking down at them for the way they choose. It's really frustrating when you constantly have people expressing their opinions, and maybe not intentionally, but end up making you feel guilty for how you believe your child needs to be raised. Proverbs 29:15 Correct your children and they will be wise; children out of control disgrace their mothers. (CEV) The KJV refers to using "the rod" as a method of correction. But ultimately I think God just calls us to love and discipline our children and not allow them to just run all over us and every other authority. So once you have figured out how God has designed and wired your child and you decide what works for you, be confident in your decision. If you are seeking God's will for your child, there is no reason you should ever doubt your parenting.

Another thing, mothers out there who either can not or choose not to breast feed wont hear the end of it and how it's so horrible to give your baby formula. If breast feeding works for you and your baby that's wonderful, but if it doesn't don't allow anyone to guilt trip you over it. I have recently seen some really ridiculous opinions on this topic that I think can really hurt those moms out there that do not breast feed. That's why I wish people would just keep those kinds of opinions to themselves. I know we have freedom of speech and what not but sometimes I wonder "And what was the point of you sharing that?" And this isn't in reference to an article. Because I think there are great writers out there that can WRITE things with references to back the argument or opinion up so that people can on their OWN research things to decide what is best for them. And then hopefully keep it to themselves, lol.

There are so many things that myself and others I know feel guilty about these days when it comes to our children. It's like if you don't send your babies to swim school, or dance class, or pre k, you are depriving them of LIFE. I think people these days put too much emphasis on the activities their kids do to define THEM as parents and then they completely MISS whats really important. Even Christians can be guilty of their particular perspective. You know like if you don't home school or do Christian private your sending your kids out to the wolves, hope they survive! And once again, I have no problem with either of those options. I attended private, home school, and public. And if I had it my way and knew I could successfully do it, I would more than likely home school my children. But by no means would I ever look down upon someone who chose a different route. Like everything, there are pros and cons to each option.

For me what's really important all goes back to Biblical principles. I want my kids to know that Jesus Christ is the most important thing in my life and should be in theirs too. And I don't think playing soccer on Sunday would convey that. I want my kids to know that praying and being in conversation with God is important, and so is spending time in the Word and learning that loving God and loving others is our highest calling. I want my kids to learn that putting others above themselves is important. You can look at society and see that we are overrun with a bunch of selfish kids that think they are entitled to everything. And I want my kids to grow up knowing that what we are called to do is to "Go! and make disciples of ALL nations." (Matthew 28:19) And for them, that might mean going to their public school.

But the bottom line is, I think WE ALL (myself included because I'm just as GUILTY as anyone else) as parents need to recognize that each of us are going to do things different. And we need to stop judging others and start being confident and certain that we (not "the Jones") are following the will of God when it comes to raising our children. I think we need to stop trying to push people to conform to our way and strive ourselves to conform to GODS WAY.

Being a follower of Christ is not going to be "cookie cutter". Neither is marriage, or parenting, or anything for that matter. Except for maybe your cookie cutter neighborhood ;) and we all know how boring that is. hehe.

Fun with food coloring

So lately I've been trying REALLY hard to get creative with the girls. Since I started this "Pre K homeschooling" (thanks to a blogger I follow and all her postings) I've been trying my hardest to think outside the box (and the house!).

I have learned that once you step into the "creative realm" it really does come easier to you. I never considered myself to be artsy or crafty or anything like that but I really think I'm getting there. And the girls are liking our little "projects" and I'm not gonna lie, its been kind of fun for me too. Which is just great because I want to be involved and investing in my children's lives. Not that I feel like I wasn't before but I just know this is (next to being a wife) the most important role God has called me to. And I want to glorify Him by loving my children the way he wants me to. It may seem silly, to some, that sitting down and coloring with your children or reading with them, or getting a bit more crafty then you've ever thought you could, is important to Him but it is! So, for His glory...... playing with food coloring =)

I read online that you can buy white carnations, put them in water, dye the water with food coloring, and the flowers will soak up the water and turn to that color. I thought this would be a fun way to incorporate learning colors with the girls lesson. And they just loved the whole process of going and buying the flowers, dyeing the water, and now waiting and watching for the flowers to change colors.

Micaila picked Green, because it's our color for the week, and then Ryann picked Blue and I picked Yellow. Unfortunately, the green is not having great results.... But here is the blue. You can see the little bits of blue on the outer edges.

The yellow has been the most successful and I think it's because I had it in a vase where the water came up very high on the stem. I'm assuming it must have been able to soak it up faster to the petals being closer to the petals???

Anyway, if you want to try it I recommend cutting the stems shorter and filling the vase up full with food coloring and water. It might work faster that way. =) It's super fun though and kinda pretty too!

Husband and Wife

This morning I was able to spontaneously meet with my mentor. It was obviously an orchestration by God because I wasn't supposed to meet with her. In fact, my mother was, but when she saw the stress I was crumbling under this morning she suggested I go instead. Stress created by my dumb dog Jake. UGH! Any takers????

I've been under Susie's discipleship since right before we moved out of our home in Brooksville. She is an amazing woman to say the least. A godly woman that I look up to very much. I have learned so much from her personal experiences and am very grateful that God is using her in my life.

We talk about everything. EVERYTHING. And we often get a few topics in in one sitting. I usually walk away though with one "Ah ha!" that I'm excited about and can't wait to start implementing in my daily life.

Today's nugget was this: I do not have (nor do I want) a cookie cutter marriage.

This may be simple to a lot of you. You might be thinking "Duh Katie..." but seriously. In our society we are all up in every ones business. Between publicity, social networking, BLOGGING, we are constantly subject to how other people live their lives. And I know I am not the only one who has looked at someone else and thought "Wow, maybe I should be doing that??" Often I have found myself looking at other people, leaders in our church, couples I look up to, and thinking "Oh no, Jason and I don't do that... there must be something wrong with us..." But I can recognize now, that God has wired us ALL different. And all our marriages are going to look different. Even when we are fully submitted to God, our marriages in the body of Christ are still not going to LOOK the same. They should reflect God, but in different ways. So what might work in one couples marriage, may not work or be important for me and my husband. And THAT'S OKAY. There isn't anywhere in the bible that says "This is exactly what a Christian marriage will look like" Yes we as Christians will love (1 Corinthians 13), and possess the fruit of the spirit (Galations 5:22). And yes we as wives need to be submissive to our husbands (Colossians 3:18). Which ALSO will look different in each marriage. My being submissive to Jason a phlegmatic is gonna look different then another woman submitting to her super choleric husband. Different temperaments need different things. So we wives are going to submit differently. And I find GREAT relief in knowing this. Don't get trapped (like I did) in thinking that something is wrong with your husband if he doesn't want to get up and preach or speak in front of 10, 20, 50 people. Or if he doesn't want to be in the choir singing. Or if he isn't initiating prayer with you on a regular basis. As long as you are confident he is actively pursuing his relationship with God, then God is going to reveal what will be important for the two of you to do as a couple to advance His kingdom. And that's what matters. Bringing God glory and honor. I would often get all down that Jason and I weren't praying together. But it was more about ME than God. It was more about my feeling like we were really intimate together spiritually, then it was about God. And that's not right. So now I know that it's ok to be different, as a couple, in our walk with God. Praise God! Maybe you find it funny that all this just clicked with me but I'm just happy it did.

And also, since I have referred to temperaments a lot I really encourage anyone and everyone to find out what theirs and maybe their spouses is. You will really benefit from it. I read "The Spirit Controlled Woman" by Beverly Lahaye and I plan on reading her husband Tim Lahaye's version for men. And also, I haven't read it YET but I hear "Two Sides of Love" by Gary Smalley and John Trent is great too. Just a few book readings to throw out there =)

Pine Cones

Yesterday the girls and I went for a bike ride. Well they road, I walked. We spotted some sweet pine cones in one of the neighbors yards and decided to grab them and make the infamous bird feeder. I like making these things a lot because they are easy and FUN. The girls really enjoy it too. It's cool because they like the whole idea of feeding the birds (and squirrels) and maybe even catching them in the act! Yum Yum....

Here are the pictures from our little adventure.

On our ride home

Peanut butter pine cones ;)

You know you'd lick it too!

Gotta get those seeds on just right.

The finished product, up close and personal. Looks pretty tasty huh??

All cleaned up and ready to hang the feeder. Ryann was REALLY excited lol.

Hanging in the tree, waiting to be eaten =)

Great Grands are GREAT =)

Today me and the girls took a little trip over to Grandma and Grandpa Whites house. My dad's mother and father. My brothers and I spent A LOT of time with them growing up and I have many many wonderful memories with Grandma and Grandpa. It's cool that my children get to know them and hopefully will even establish some of their own memories. Going to their house is so funny to me because seriously, I feel like it gets smaller every time I go. This is the house my dad grew up in. It's old people. When I was a child I felt like it was pretty big for a grandparents house. I mean, theres only two of them and they each have there own room! And they had this other room that I imagine used to be a garage. It has this sweet sink that hangs on the wall. Just a sink. I thought that was cool. And in this room was where my first introduction to sewing was. So yeah, today was a fun trip down memory lane.

The girls did pretty good, hanging out and chatting. I can remember my parents taking me on these kinds of visits when I was little. You know, to see the old people. It was always so boring because they had no toys and sometimes their houses smelt funny. When you're a kid you don't know these older folks, so you don't have the memories to really appreciate the visit ya know? So you sit there all bored and waiting till they get done talking. Usually you are starving too!

Anyway, today was nothing like that! hehe, loads of fun for all. Of course I brought my camera to take pictures.... poor Grandpa is hanging on by a thread so I like to make sure I get "one last photo" each time I see him.

Then Micaila gets a hold of my camera. And mind you I had my big SLR. She ACTUALLY took some good pictures... I think this child has a future in photography.

Some of them are better than what I got. It's funny how you can hand an adult a camera and they become all confused and don't know how to use it but my 3 1/2 year old can totally figure it out with no problem and even get it centered and take a decent one! Amazing.....

Ryann's 2nd Birthday

So it's official, my little baby is two years olds. Guh, the time flies. 2 years makes her an official toddler right??? I refuse. She's still my baby and will be until I have another one. Which wont be for quite some time, in case any of you are wondering.

Her actual birthday was Saturday, but we celebrated on Sunday evening. Like I said I try to keep it simple and low key for now. So, sorry to anyone who didn't get invited, it was just family. You can thank me later ;)

Okay, so THIS is when you see how realistic my blog is. First of all, my cake DID NOT turn out AT ALL how it was supposed to. I found this adorable puppy cake online that I thought would be "so easy". Let me just say, that last year, working with fondant, WAY EASIER! And maybe I just didn't give myself enough time because I thought it was going to be so easy. I did feel rushed and tried to take short cuts that resulted in what I thought was a catastrophe.

Everybody said it was adorable (I mean what else would they say) and that it tasted good.

Of course THIS girl loved it.... I mean she's a sugar addict so I knew I could count on her. =)

But I just was, a lot, disappointed. However, Ryann was still able to identify what it was and that made me happy. (Not that it's all about me or anything)

The dresses were definitely the hit of the party. The girls looked sooooo pretty in them. I thought the hot glue was going to hold Ryann's wooden puppy dog on but 15 minutes before everyone was supposed to be there it fell off so we resorted to Guerilla Glue.

Which is supposed to be "faster, stronger!" Ehh.... not so much. Ryann was in her Birthday Suit the first 20 minutes of the party while Jason had the blow dryer to the dog and dress to get it to dry on. Woo Hoo!

All that to say, it didn't go exactly as I planned it. And you want to know why..... because that's reality! And that's what I'm here for. A realistic perspective on life. Well not solely what I'm here for but I do like to be authentic. =)

Anyway, on with the party. It was a super fun family gathering. I enjoyed all our company and Ryann recieved some very sweet gifts. My favorite was her elephant pj's Aunt Karen bought her. But HER favorite was probably the birthday cake candle counter that Uncle Mike got her. She can blow out candles and pretend it's her birthday all year round. How cool is that?!

It did turn out to be a pretty splendid 2 year old party. I have been thanking God for these 2 wonderful years with this wonderful little girl. She's just awesome!

I "luuhboooo" Ryann. ;)

Radical

SO SO GOOD! And I must thank my brother and sister in law for getting this family on the Radical wagon. I highly highly recommend it. Especially if you like Crazy Love. Which you should! This is the kind of Acts Christianity we should be living out in America. (or wherever we are) I'm only in chapter 3 but when I finish it I'm sure it will be added to my list of "Favorite books".

Thought to ponder: Chapter 3 page 45

"The question for us, then, is whether we trust in his power. (Holy Spirit) And the problem for us is that in our culture we are tempted at every turn to trust in our own power instead. So the challenge for us is to live in such a way that we are radically dependent on and desperate for the power only God can provide."

What would that look like in your own life??

For me I kind of apply it to our moving to GA. I will be away from every one I've ever leaned on for emotional support. This will reveal to me that I NEED God and HAVE to depend on him. And I'm EXCITED to start doing that. I think it's about time.

I know there are many others ways that I can live Radically for Christ, but this is where I want to start.

I need thee every hour....

Matchy Matchy

I had enough material to make Micaila a similar dress to sport on Ryee's birthday. It looks super cute on her too. I'm still going to get a new applique for Ryann's dress. Micaila specifically told me that she did not want a dog on hers. As if she has a choice. Wasn't planning on putting one on hers anyway because that's what will make Ryann's special. I mean it is HER birthday... Micaila doesn't seem to get that concept. Anyway, just thought I'd share my 2nd official sewing project! yay!

Ryann's birthday dress

Okay, let me just start this off by emphasizing that I am not a sewer. When I was little I used to sew with my grandma some. I made a few sweet vests, that I proudly wore to school in 2nd or 3rd grade. My mother in law made all of Ryann's bedding and I did play around with her machine some. Enough to make a diaper and wipe case, that fell apart within a few weeks. So that is the extent of my history in sewing. So please keep that in mind, and no making fun. Atleast not to my face =)

My daughter Ryann's birthday is Saturday and for quite some time now I have been racking my brains on what to do for her birthday and what to kind of "theme" it around. I don't like throwing big parties. Especially when they are so young. But I do like to make them special. Last year I baked my first cake EVER and it turned out pretty awesome. Just sayin. I used fondant icing and it was beautiful. Not great to eat though. So THIS year I figured Ryann would be in to something. Micaila LOVED the Backyardigans so I did that theme. So easy. But Ryann..... well.... she just loves dogs. I'm like, ugh, puppies?? Puppy decor is so...... well they are dogs. In person yeah cute but wheres the pink?? Where's the bright colors and the fun music and sweet balloons. I don't want my parents house covered with fur balls. We have two real ones taking care of that. But Ryann has not developed any new interests so dogs it is. Thus, this dress I made.

I went to Jo Ann fabrics, me and the girls, which by the way is a whole blog in itself. (Not fun!) Mainly because it took me forever to pick out the fabric, find a cute dog to go on the dress, the ribbon, the thread... I had no clue what I was doing. And holy moly! Sewing is not a cheap hobby. So of course I had to go with paisley, I just love paisley, it's so adorable. And I think this stuff was like 4.99 a yard, so compared to some of the other fabric it was cheap.




I had spotted this fabric and I thought I could do a little bit of it at the bottom of the dress to really get that doggy feel, lol.


And this was the only puppy applique that I could find that wasn't a poodle and was big enough.



So I did all that shopping yesterday morning. Wednesday. I got to Jo Anns at about 9:30 and got home after 11:00am. Oh and that's when I started making my bow. Then I went to my mother in laws and picked up her sewing machine. We sort of went over the basics but I pretty much forgot everything she said. I remember her saying not to touch a specific dial lol. That's about it. So when I started sewing this morning I had to go online and find a manual for this super old Singer. Thank you http://www.sewusa.com/!

I had decided on the "pillow case" dress but obviously I wasn't starting with a pillow case and who buys patterns?? I figured this dress would be a breeze, it looked so simple. And for the most part it was. I only had to de hem like 3 times.... So after much trial and error, I finally got it together. And here it is =) It looks pretty cute on "Bootsy" but I wont post a picture of her in it till after her bday party.

Notice no puppy applique..... yeeeaaah I sort of melted it with the iron and need to get another one. I guess I didn't read the directions right, or maybe it's just I don't really know how to use an iron. I'm just glad it didn't mess the dress up!

Our God is Greater

My new favorite song. How simple, true and POWERFUL these lyrics are. Go Chris Tomlin for allowing the Holy Spirit to work through you and your music, to God be the glory!

All the bows you'll ever need

My VERY first bow. I think I did alright =) And it's going to go perfect with the party dress I'm making Ryann.

Thanks to this youtube video I was able to make my first bow EVER. I'm pretty stinkin excited too. Thank you so much to JessaBailey. See below and make some of your own =)

Tell me why Georgia why????

This is what many are thinking. Something I haven't blogged about is the idea of moving to Georgia that Jason and I have been entertaining. This weekend we are going up to look at some houses. It's very exciting for us to do something totally different and outside of what people might expect us to do. We both think this could be really good for us, stepping out completely on our own. There are a lot of signs, we feel from God, that are also pointing us in this direction. So we aren't just doing this based on our own fleshly desires. (ie: bigger better house on land for way less money!) We truly are trying to make a decision based on God's leading. And honestly, we feel he is guiding us to Dallas, GA.

Jason has lots of family there, from his dad's side. Two cousins, both married with children. An Aunt and Uncle, and a Grandma. So we wont be totally alone. We are actually very close with his cousins Scott and Nicole. In fact they have 3 little girls, one of which is only 2 weeks younger then Micaila.

Yes there are many draw backs with us leaving our immediate family. But at the same time, we feel there is some growing that would get accomplished better if we were out on our own. And this doesn't mean we will never come back to our wonderful family here in Lutz. Trust me, there are some sad sad things that have crossed my mind in regards to leaving everything I have EVER known to go somewhere ENTIRELY NEW and different. Remember what I said about my Honduras trip, about never having gone anywhere on my own with out knowing a single person. Okay imagine me doing this permanently. I've always been super attached to my family. But now it's time for me to be super attached to my God and my husband and go where they lead me. So here we go, taking the first step in this "calling". We aren't sure where it will take us , we just know for now we have to go and see what God shows us next. Kind of like Abraham in Genesis 12. So be in prayer for us on this new journey. We really want God's will..... even if it means sacrificing what is comfortable and convenient, which is exactly how we're living now.

God we pray that you would do something in our days that we wouldn't believe even if someone told us. Acts 13:41 Use this family to glorify you in a new way.

VBS Week

Ahhh, it's so crazy to think the last time I had anything to do with VBS was when I was IN it. 5th grade people!!! I'm 23 years old. Where did all that time go???? Apparently I went boy/Jason crazy, got married, had babies, and now here I am finally getting a chance to be a part of this blessed ministry.

I was asked by one of the sweet ladies of our church who is a VBS leader. When I first committed, (you'll learn I rarely say NO to anything) I thought "Oh yeah that's perfect! Right when I get back from Honduras. Works out GREAT!" When I commit to something I never think about the fact that I am the most easily over whelmed person on the face of the earth. Nope, I just think "Oh sure, nothing on that calendar day..." So needless to say when I got back from my amazing trip to Honduras I wasn't the least bit excited about working with our overly spoiled (even mine) American children. haha. BUT once AGAIN God showed me that just being in service for and with Him is a blessing.

I have had SO MUCH FUN. I ended up being a guide for the 3rd graders. Even though not all the kids attending VBS are all that excited, "I'm bored." "I don't want to sing." "I'm hungry." "I don't have anything to pray about." stinking pulling teeth with them!) It has been really great in other areas. Side note: please please be in prayer for these kids. I don't think people realize how instrumental VBS can be in children's lives. And I really desire for each child to learn something new, something that impacts them, from this week. Something they can take home and really apply to their daily lives. Maybe even someone have a chance to actually enter into a relationship with Christ. Ugh, that would be so amazing! (Anyway, sorry longest side note ever!)

What we do is go from one site to another doing things like crafts, water recreations, a bible story room, and at snack time we really incorporate prayer. We also open and end with worship which has been my absolute favorite part. Our youth praise band has been leading and we just are blessed with some talented teens. I've been so impressed by how much the youth have been participating and how much fun they genuinely are having. I think I may have helped out 1 year with VBS when I was in like 6th grade and I don't remember being interested much in the whole giving up my summer time (I know one week, so selfish I was!) to do Vacation Bible School. But these teens just seem to be really happy to interact with the young kids and encourage them to pursue relationship with God and fellowship with the body of Christ. So COOL!

All that to say that it couldn't be more true, that when you are serving God in ministry He will bless you for it. It may be as simple as just enjoying the ministry itself. (which to me is HUGE because who wants to hate being somewhere for a whole week, not me!) But truly, being in constant fellowship with God and pursuing His will truly does reap blessings and benefits spiritually in your life.

I don't want to be anywhere else. =)