What a Year

As 2009 winds down, I thought I would take a moment to reflect. There has been a lot going on this year in our neck of the woods. I won't spend too much time recapping everything. (For that just go back and read old blogs throughout the year.) But, I will open up a little about how God has chosen to grow me this year.

My eyes have been opened to a great many things this year. Things that I maybe knew in my head but didn't necessarily know in my heart. God is so good. That He chooses to be sooooooo patient with me, I will never understand. I am glad that He continues to refine me although there are times that I definitely have grown weary.

God is in control! There is no doubt in my mind. I saw friends lose their babies this year, communities lose their officers, churches misplace their trust, and my own faith put to the test. There are times I have had to take a strong stand for what I believe to be the Truth. There are times I have had to walk away and trust that God will move hearts. There are times when I have been hurt and run to my heavenly father for comfort. There have been incredible times of growth and life lived with my husband and our children. There has been times of evaluation as to why I do the things that I do, why I serve, or where my humility is lacking. There have been times of peace and times of turmoil. God has shown me where I can be improving. He has challenged me to know Him better. He has invited me to know more about who He is completely. Not just the God who I run to when I need something or I want to say thankyou. God is challenging me to really understand what it means to be in true AWE of Him. To not fully understand Him and still be envealoped by what I can grasp.

I don't know how 2010 will go. I don't get to see ahead and prepare for those really tough times. But I do know that God is in control. I know that He will guide me and use me if I am willing to be available to Him. I just get to wake up tomorrow and live it to its fullest.

So, as you end the year of 2009 and celebrate with friends and family, remember to pray. Pray that God will bless 2010. Pray that you will become more and more available to what His will for you is. Pray that as He grows you and shows you things, you WILL respond.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Some choose to cover their eyes and although they can't see where they are going they think they are more comfortable because the light is not so bright. Some turn their back to the light and either decide to retrace their steps and relive past experiences or they decide to walk backward and they miss everything that is placed in front of them. Some people put on sunglasses and accept the light but dim it so that it is comfortable and non threatening. They see the truth in part but never really experience the Glory of the Light. And then there are those who embrace the brightness of the light and trust that the author of that light will guide them even though they can't see the next step. They get to experience all that the light has to offer and they rest in that. I want to be a person who embraces the light in 2010 to the fullest!

Way to much fun!!!!

The trampoline got put up today. It is such a blast!

Daddy and Jordan checkin' out the final details

The kids so happy to finally be on it

Mikayla loves to get bounced by Jordan

Jordan is quickly becoming the man of many tricks!

Isabella loves the "Drop and Pose"

Mikayla's splits in the air

This girl likes to get some air underneath her~!

So does the momma~!

I'm sure not the last time I'll be on my behind on this thing

That's enough for today. It's cold out here!!

For the record: The netting is supposed to be tied down and we will do it tomorrow. So for all you safety nuts that will read this and make comments, no worries!! We just had to get some jump time in tonight.

Mikayla's Musings at Christmas

Mikayla wrote this and read it to us today. It was so unique and sweet I just had to put it up! Enjoy. Sorry about the sideways issue. I always forget that videos have to be upright!

An early gift

Who needs a visit from Santa?

The gift of friendship is priceless.

A Christmas Vacation

We took a vacation to SunRiver Resort in Oregon and just got back yesterday. It was so wonderful and relaxing. The resort was amazing. We got to catch up with an Aunt and cousin that Greg and I have not seen in 8 years. There was so much snow on Mt. Bachelor. The kids were definitely in their happy place. Although it is definitely cold there too! The sun was very accomodating. Here's some fun facts and pics from our week.

Fact 1: Jordan realized that you can't breathe really well if you stick a wet rag over your face at night while trying to go to sleep. Oh the things a 7 year old comes up with.

Fact 2: Scrabble is an addictive game and funniest when you are really tired and have had a high fiber kind of day.

Fact 3: You really can lose a couple pounds and stay on track with your workouts when vacationing!

Fact 4: It takes a LOT of cement, I mean icing, to stick those gingerbread houses together so they don't fall apart!

Fact 5: Snow is AWESOME!! Snowboarding and Sledding....even better.

Fact 6: I am completely in awe of a God that chose to create such a beautiful world and bless us with such amazing scenery.

One Minute of Praise

One of my friends gave me a book for Christmas called One Minute of Praise. I just started gtting into it but let me tell you, it is amazing. We all have "things" in our lives. At Christmas, it is easy for those things to weigh us down. There are people who are hurting, people who feel wronged, and those that are just trying to survive. There are those who want to carry the burdens of thier friends and just don't know what to do or how to help.

This beautiful book that I am reading had this to say: "No matter the circumstances, never lose sight of the victories. Remind yourself of the many times that God has proven Himself faithful and praise Him that His mercies are new every morning."

So tonight, I will go into His presence and I will lift up those who I know are hurting and need their Savior. But I will also thank God for the small victories that I know He is providing every day.

Memory Makers

The holidays are such a fun time to make special memories with the family. Last Saturday Mikayla and I got to go to a very special Christmas Tea at our friend's church. It was absolutely delightful seeing friends and being immersed in celebrating how wonderful life is because of the gift of a baby born to save us so long ago.

(I wish my scanner was working because the photos that we had taken turned out beautifully but alas it is not. Oh well.)

Afterward, our family just got to "hang out" with Greg's brother and his family. It was so great! Not only are they our family but we like them too! I am so blessed to have a sister-in-law as one of my close friends. I love it when we just get together and take it as it comes. It's so relaxing. We did go down to the lake and take some fun pictures too. I loved how they turned out.

Then on Sunday we were treated to all kinds of Christmas blessings. The first was during our church service. We got to see the Christmas story told to ballet by a company called Paradosi. It was amazing and really special to watch. There was such a gentleness and honor that was given throughout. Isabella loved it and has not stopped asking when I am going to sign her up for dance. Then it was Old Cannery time. We love going to the Old Cannery during the holidays. They are all about community and make it so much fun for the kids. We got to take a horse drawn carriage ride (and it snowed for us), ride the Santa Train outside (where it snowed on us some more), go inside to warm up with hot cocoa, slushies, and popcorn treats, and then get pictures taken with Santa. And finally, the girls got to go with their grandma and grandpa to their church on Sunday night to watch the children's program. What the girls didn't know was that it was the play, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever". Mikayla and Isabella had a blast and came home yelling SHAZAM to everything. The smiles and enthusiasm filled my heart to overflowing. Not to mention getting to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa which is always awesome!

God is so good. There were years when our family was far away at Christmas and although those years were good, they were so very different. I am thankful for the gift of family. But, I am so much more thankful for the gift of a Saviour. I pray that you and yours are getting to enjoy each other this holiday season. But more, I pray that God is falling fresh over you and making His presence known in those moments of stillness.

Compassion

Compassion is a word that I would say that I know. I would tell you that I show compassion to others willingly. However, I had an awakening this morning about what it feels like to be alone. (And it's not even what the sermon was about this morning) But I'm fully aware that God was teaching me something far different today.

First thing you have to know is that my husband is my best friend. He is my other half. He truly is the better part of me. We do so much together and honestly love being together whenever we can. Greg was not feeling well this weekend. He has had a cold all week and has just been feeling down and out. So he decided to stay home from church this morning. I was busy getting the girls and I to church. Then I helped with worship in first service so I didn't really notice anything out of the ordinary. Then 2nd service started and I had to find a seat for ONE. It felt strange. Like something was missing. Isabella sang in service with the children so there was a brief distraction and then back to the reality that Greg wasn't there beside me. I refocused and worshiped. Then the defining moment came in my morning. After service got over, I grabbed my stuff and started to put on my gloves and almost started to cry. There was no one there to talk with. There was no one there to laugh with or understand how my week has been. There was a feeling of being alone. Is this what it feels like? I thought of all those whose husbands are overseas right now. I thought of those who have lost loved ones or don't live close enough to see them. I thought of those who have had loved ones in the past but for whatever reasons don't have them anymore. And God immediately flooded my heart with compassion.

It's Christmas. A time of year when lonliness can overtake you. It is easy to be so focused on me and mine that I fail to see those around me. We are so blessed to be by both our families again. I am thankful for that gift. But God is reminding me to open my eyes and truely embrace those friends and family around me that are just trying to survive this Christmas. Those that are hurting and those that just need a friend.

So I have a challenge to all of you out there. Keep your eyes and your ears open to those around you this Christmas. Show compassion and God's love. Remember that it's tough to feel alone right now and the smallest smile or the short embrace of a friend can make all the difference. You never know how God will bless!

A Great Date!

This week has been a doozy for studying and taking big tests in school for me. Isabella has been so patient and kind waiting for this week to get over. And today was our celebration that we made it. I don't remember the last time just she and I got to go out together. We started it out with hair cuts. Then we went out to lunch at Olive Garden. She was such a little lady and was very polite to the waitress. She even asked for extra cheese on her macaroni and cheese (you know, the kind they grate at the table) and when she had enough she held up her hand politely and said, "That will do, thank you". Who is this 5 year old hanging out with anyway?

I am so thankful for my sweet Isabella. She is such a joy to me. Her energy for living every moment to the fullest is contagious. I don't know where she gets that dramatic flare from though!! I pray that God continues to grow me as a mom so that I can do my best to prepare her to be what God has created for her to be.

Pre Hair Cuts

We love Trudy! And, we love that her house is 2 doors down!

Post Hair cuts

Isabella just had to snap some pictures during lunch. She actually posed me for this one. I was crackin' up.

Isabella and I at Olive Garden

Here we go!

We love setting up the christmas tree and getting out all the ornaments. I think it's my favorite part of Thanksgiving weekend. The kids got super excited as they saw ornaments from their Papa and Nora from last Christmas and ones that they remember making. And then there is the fun of getting to hang all their own special ornaments that they pick out each year. There is so much of a story that an ornament can tell. I think that's why I enjoy them so much. It was a fun weekend of memories and fluffing the tree.

Where's the beef?

Greg and I are trying to learn how to eat better and more consistently. Protein is a big deal with the P90X program because of the extreme workouts for the muscles. (In a balanced diet, not by itself) Well, I've remembered how expensive it can be to buy a lot of meat.

SO....I was pretty excited to see the BOGO sale on meat at Albertsons this week. And boy did it pay off today. I bought all of this....

for a grand total of $52.29. Now that sounds like a lot but the total for all that meat and yogurt should have been $100.29. That is huge savings in my grocery bill and obviously that's a whole lot of meals. 2 pork chops pkg (6/pkg), 4 pork roasts (2 lg roasts/pkg), 6 ground turkey meat, and 2 sirloin steak pkg (2 big steaks/pkg), a couple of avacados and 9 yogurts @ .39 each with the coupon in the add. Very successful shopping trip today!

Happy Thanksgiving

What a fantastic Thanksgiving yesterday. There was food, fun, and family. Here's just a brief recap.

So much good food!

Time to eat!

Isabella and Lauren performing for us.

Our little princesses.
Snuggles with Grandma.
Aunt Chrissy and Isabella who later did a hillarious rendition of Jingle Bells for us.
Our whole family
Stephanie is again the undefeated Bakugan Brawl Champ!

Impromptu pillow fight!
Whoa Grandpa, there's a kid back there!
Trying to get a family picture for the Christmas Card. Nope!
Generations of Thankfullness. One of my favorite moments yesterday was a pleasant surprise. My grandmother is a simple woman who loves her family. At the end of the movie, Santa Buddies, there is a part where the music to Silent Night is played. All of a sudden, I heard my grandmother singing along to the tune and it was the sweetest thing I have ever heard. There is something about the simpleness of the holidays (that is lost all too often) that reminds me of the important things. Thanks Grandma.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!