Brent's 33rd Birthday!

We celebrated Brent's birthday last week. He turned the big 33 on Thursday the 24th. He loves the fact that I am almost 3 years old than he is, and he and his brother rub it in when they get the chance! I just tell him that whatever he does to me on my birthday, then I have almost 3 years to plan my revenge! Nah, he's always been very loving and thoughtful on my birthdays...

We had dinner at Ruby Tuesday...just so happened that we had a BOGO coupon...you know I love a coupon! We really LOVE their salad bar! It was fun...Harry of course, must announce himself to any public place that we go...with his HIGH PITCHED, EAR PIERCING scream. We are kind of use to it, but I have witnessed him scaring the heck out of some people with his outbursts! There is no warning...just NOISE! It's kind of funny. We can always tell who has children and who doesn't by the reactions we get. Mostly laughs and giggles at what we are going through.




Brent enjoyed his cards and opening his gift. He doesn't like to be the center of attention and may be embarrassed that I am dedicating a blog to his birthday, but he will take it in stride. He is such a humble person and I love that about him. Much different than myself and I try and learn from his example.

We had birthday cake at home that Henry and I made and decorated. We decided that since our daddy is such an awesome daddy that we we would make him our own superhero birthday cake. SuperDaddy! At first Henry wanted to do "Batdaddy", but we decided that black icing might not taste too good. So, we decided to do SuperDaddy! After all, superman could fly!



blowing out candles!!

The boys really enjoyed the fruits of our labor...well the dessert of our labor! Harry just about finished his cake and ice cream and Henry preferred to eat the icing from the cake using a candle as a utensil.

It always fun to celebrate birthdays! We don't get to take an entire day to honor someone that we love and cherish very often. I want our birthdays to be memorable because of the time we spend together on those days, the little things we do to make it special and because for that one day of the year, the birthday honoree gets to be the center of attention! We love you Brent and Happy Birthday!

Apple Picking

We made our first visit of the season to an area apple orchard...Minnesota Harvest. We woke to a cool Saturday morning and our neighborhood decided to head out apple picking. It was a great orchard, filled with tons of apples trees and an abundance of beautiful horses! You could even go on trail rides through the orchards ...seems like a lot of fun!

A very loud green tractor pulled our wagon out to the orchard...the kids loved that. We would stop at one area and pick from those types of trees and then the wagon would come back and get us and we'd head to another kind of apple trees. The kids couldn't pick the apples fast enough. Its so much fun to see their eyes light up when they see a tree just dripping in apples! I remember instances like that as a child...thinking, 'this is it...I've found the greatest thing ever!'

I think we got three different kinds of apples that day. McIntosh, Haralson and I can't seem to remember the third! I made an amazing apple pecan pie with the haralson apples and have enough to make an apple crisp this weekend. YUMMY!!

After the wagon ride and apple picking, we headed to the petting zoo and had a funny time in there. Henry and Harry aren't timid at all when it comes to most animals and loved being that close to the goats, mini horses, a cow and even a donkey. There were some llamas also, but they seemed to shy away this day.

Bought some awesome local honey and headed home for a bbq with the neighbors. It was a really fun day and we made some great memories...I hope its just our first trip of the season. I LOVE the fall!

Interesting Night...

Well, a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday night, Brent and I were just hanging out together after the boys were in bed. All of a sudden, we heard this scared, high pitched scream/cry from upstairs. We knew that it was Henry and thought he must have woken from a nightmare. He was already making his way down the stairs when I got to him. I asked him what was wrong and he could hardly answer me because he was so upset. Then he told me..."I swallowed a coin"..."you what?", I said!!! Again, he told me he swallowed a coin...( I love that he calls money coins...)

Brent and I weren't sure if he really did swallow a coin,or if he did indeed dream that he swallowed a coin. So, we began to ask him questions...are you sure? can you breathe? do you remember what the coin looked like? where did you get the coin? He could answer all of the questions without hestitation, so I knew that he was certain he did swallow one. He said he had his wallet in his bed and was playing with the coins... so I checked...sure enough, there it was.

I immediately was scared silly and so thankful that the coin didn't get stuck in his throat and we not know it...he had been in his bed for a while and we thought he was fast asleep! Thank you GOD for keeping him safe! I have to admit, I thought he was past doing something like that, but I guess I was wrong... he said "I wanted to see what it tasted like.."

So, off to the ER we went. We got there aroumd 9:30pm and sat in the waiting room for about 45 minutes (not too bad). As we checked in, he told the receptionist that he "swallowed a diamond!" He had calmed down by this point..we all had... and was quite talkative and excited to be receiving so much attention! We pulled out examples of coins to see which he swallowed. He pointed to the nickel and called it a freckle...so cute.

We were called back and taken to triage and he cooperated very well. Finally, the doctor came in...he was the 10th person we saw so far (one reason healthcare is so expensive???) and told us we needed an xray to see where the coin was in Henry's body. Henry was so brave! Brent went with him, but still had to stand outside the door. He didn't seem to be scared at all!

The xray came back and it was clear that the freckle...I mean nickel, was already in his bowel!! So, we were ok to go home and to check for the coin to pass. Needless to say, this was not fun. It would not be 'fun' in any circumstance, but during a pregnancy it seems to have another level of ....yak, barf, earl, to go with it!

Five days passed and each day an opportunity to check to see if the coin had passed...which it had not! So, we trecked back to the doctor and had another xray done to see where this infamous coin was! Luckily, we had just missed it....it was long gone!

So, this is one that we'll tell Henry's wife one day. Still when I think about what could've happened, I get chills. I am so thankful that he is ok and that it scared him enough that I don't think he'll be tasting money again. However, we are taking even more precaution to make sure nothing like this happens again. It was pretty scary. I will say though, that both of our families had experiences like this with my brother and brent's sister and they both survived as well. I think it helped to keep us somewhat calm to know that they had done the same thing.

Pretty cool x-ray, huh?

Preggers!

Well, most of you know that we're expecting our third child. We are so excited, but I do have to admit that I am starting to get a little nervous. Our second, Harry is a handful! He is so much fun and cracks us up daily, but boy, does he need attention! He is much less 'content' than Henry was at his age and definitely prefers to be up in the middle of it all! It's so much fun to see the difference in their personalities and know that those differences were designed exactly by God himself! I am exicted to continue to see who God will make them to be as they grow in a relationship with Him. What peace it brings me to know that HE knows the future He has in store for them...to give them hope and a future!

So, we are gearing up to have a tiny baby in the house again, sometime in Janurary. I love new tiny babies...my due date is January 8th based on early ultrasound, but I typically deliever late! So, I am thankful that I feel well most of the time. I have heard horror stories and I have truly been blessed with bareable pregnancies. I love being pregnant. It's probably when I feel most special. I don't think that I'll ever choose to say "this is our last pregnancy"...I can not imagine not feeling a baby kick again. Now, we'll see how I feel after this 3rd one comes! Those of you with 3 or more babies were probably thinking just that!

I am around 22 weeks pregnant and we had our ultrasound about 2 weeks ago. It is always so much fun to do that! We decided that we would not find out the sex of this baby during the ultrasound, which is not what we have done in the past. We couldn't wait to find out with the boys, but this time, something felt differently. Atleast for me. Brent was so funny...he wanted to find out, even trying to talk me into it while the Tech was doing the ultrasound. I am so grateful that he really was ok with waiting...he was just testing me I think! I am a planner and like to have 'all the info' I can, so for me to not know is a big deal!

Because I am 35, the risk of certain chromosomal issues goes up. We chose to have a quad screen done, which checks for certain risks. It really is a test to see "who should be offered an amnioscentesis"...I didn't really realize that and since I wouldn't do that anyway, there really was no need for us to do the quad screen. However, we did have an increased risk for having a baby with Down's Syndrome. The only way to know 'for sure' is to have an amnio...not doing that.

We did have a level 2 ultrasound. I don't know if that's because of our increased risk (from the test) or simply because of my age. That doesn't matter, but it was a really great ultrasound! We got to see so much! Everything looks 'normal' to the doctors, but I already knew that everything would look exactly as it was supposed to look, for my God placed that precious baby there exactly as he or she should be. I am so grateful for the peace that Jesus gave to me concerning this baby. It doesn't matter the 'labels' that could possibly be given to our child, I KNOW that my Father in heaven, knew this baby before He knit him in my womb. He knows every hair on his head and He knows the future that is planned for this baby! I love knowing that because He knows my future and the plans He has for me, for hope and a future, that I can handle anything...because He will be there with me. I rest in His sovereignty on a minute by minute basis.

I can not wait to meet this little one, who will probably end of with an "H" name! Any ideas? I love traditional names...ones with a past. Henry and Harry are both family names, and we will definitely have a family name somewhere...first or middle, but it doesn't matter which! We've been told some doozies....hortense...? I hope they were kidding...ha ha ha.

Well, left you with a 3-d pic of our new addition. Can't wait to tell you more in January!

SALSA RECIPE

One of my favorite things to eat is chips and salsa...I could eat it everyday. In the summer, I LOVE to make my own fresh salsa and pico di gallo, from tomatoes and cilantro that I grow myself. But sometimes, I just don't have the time! So, I have found a way to make any jarred salsa from the grocery taste almost as fresh as right from the garden. You may like it too...it seems to always be a hit when I make it.

So, grab a jar of any salsa. You'll also need cilantro, lime juice and minced garlic. I just add all of the ingredients together in a food processor and push blend. We like A LOT of cilantro, so I add more than some people might. I don't use any set amounts, I just add some of all at first, and then taste it to see what I need more of. The cilantro and lime juice give it the freshness that we love so much. I urge to to make a big batch, because it will go FAST!

Adios!

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary, my love. I am so grateful and honored to call you mine for the past 6 years! You are amazing. You are honest, hardworking, strong, passionate, committed, fun, loving, playful, honorable...I could go on and on! You are such a wonderful husband and as your wife, I feel treasured. As the mother of your children, I am mesmerized by your acts as a father. There is nothing you will not do for me or for our boys. They are so blessed to have such a hands on father who cares about what they do daily. Who wants to be there for them daily. Who would rather be at home with us than anywhere else in the world.

I am not always respectful or the best helper, but I want to be. It is what God has designed me to be. I am not your equal and I do not want to be. I want to be right where God designed me to be...serving you, helping you become the man He created you to be. As I continue to learn more about my design and as God makes me into a Godly wife, I pray that you will be blessed. Thank you for your patience in this area!

We have had an amazing 6 years of marriage...6 moves to 6 different states, two beautiful boys and a life filled to running over with blessings from our God! I praise Him for you and for the strength of our marriage. I pray for protection of our marriage and for many more years to enjoy one another. I am excited to see where He will have us in 10 years....geographically as well as spiritually.

Thank you for loving me in spite of myself! You are a patient man!

I love you with all of my heart and I respect you more than you could EVER EVEN IMAGINE.

Cam

blog comment issues

It seems there have been some issues with leaving comments on my blog. I think I've gotten it figured out. I'm still pretty new at this blogging thing...there are a few things I want to get figured out! Like, how do you post a link to something and make the click-able link say something other than the link?..for instance...click 'here' to see .... You, my seasoned blogger friends are so good at this! Jessica, Amber....how do you do it??!!! So, just thought I'd let you know that I've changed some settings so that you may find it easier to comment now.

While I was at it, I thought I'd post some pics from Easter Sunday at our house. You'll notice Harry's white knee socks. Funny story...I searched high and low for those things. You see, down south, this is what little boys wear...John Johns and white knee socks with black and white saddle oxfords! I mean its just traditional there, and while not all of my friends with little boys do it, I do! I love if for a little while...until they turn 2 or so..

One of the places I looked was a very nice Macy's in a nice shopping area in Minneapolis. I thought for sure they would have these socks! Well, I asked for help from a lady in the children's department. She said "how old?" I said "He's one and I'm looking for white knee socks." Her reply with kind of a 'you're crazy' look on her face was, "Well, no one really dresses like that HERE!" What?!!!! OK, we'll now that you've insulted my taste in dressing my kids, do you have them?? Is what I wanted to say. But I restrained myself, because clearly she was the one who was crazy! Ha ha ha! Macy's did not have them, but as you see, I did finally find something to make do at Marshall's.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christ filled Easter. What He did on that cross wasn't just for everyone else, it was specifically for YOU my dear friends.

Eat more veggies!

My sister gave me an really great cookbook for Christmas...I asked for it...ha ha ha! Its called DECEPTIVELY DELICIOUS, by Jessica Seinfield. Yes, she is Jerry Seinfield's wife! Its chock full of recipes that help you to get more nutritious food into the bellies of your kids..and husbands. My kids are pretty healthy eaters and I don't have a problem with them eating their fruits and veggies, however, it is hard to get them to eat the recommended amount of those each day. We take vitamins and I am going to start a whole food supplement, but this is another great way to get MORE of the good stuff into their bodies!

Basically, you steam veggies and make purees and then add them to whatever you're cooking.

For example, there is a recipe for mac and cheese that you can add either cauliflower puree or butternut squash puree to, and it is GREAT! There is a chocolate chip cookie recipe in which you put chick peas (I forgot to take a picture of those)...

So far, our favorite has been the chicken nuggets. To these, you can add broccoli or spinach, sweet potato or beet. The best part about these is that you roll them in whole-wheat breadcrumbs plus flaxseed meal! Flaxseed is full of omega -3s which are SO GOOD FOR YOU! You may get a lot of them if you and your family eat a lot of fish, but we don't tend to do that unless Brent is catching them our of the ocean!

Anyway, its been really fun to try these few recipes out on our family. The cookies were just OK- I love chick peas, but for some reason the cookies were very soggy- maybe I forgot an ingredient...not sure. There are SO MANY more recipes to try for breakfast, lunch and dinner and even dessert!

• french toast with banana or pineapple or pumpkin or carrot
• peanut butter and banana muffins with carrot or cauliflower
• blueberry lemon muffins with yellow squash
• spaghetti and meatballs with butternut squash and carrot
• quesadillas with butternut squash
• sloppy Joe's with sweet potato or red pepper
• doughnuts with pumpkin
• blueberry oatmeal bars with spinach

You get the idea. I will say that there is still the use of white flour and sugar, so you could substitute whole wheat flour and sweeten with honey or stevia. So, click here for the website:

http://www.deceptivelydelicious.com/site/

or here for recipes:

http://www.recipezaar.com/cookbook.php?bookid=163632
Happy Pureeing!

NEXT...

To say we've had a busy few weeks is to speak the truth! We've had a really fun beginning to our spring! First we had some dear friends come to visit for a long weekend. The Tobins, (our friends from Appleton, WI), came and were our first guests in MN. Sean and Yvette have 2 kids, Bella (3) and John Michael (almost 3 mos.). Henry and Bella are GREAT friends. They love each other so much and have missed one another terribly since we moved. Henry asks for her or about her about every other day, so their visit was a fun reunion for the two of them.

We were busy while they were here. We took them to the Minnesota Children's Museum, which was AWESOME! There was so much for them to experience! I highly recommend it. They were exhausted when we left.

We also went to the Mall of America and took the kids to Nickelodeon Universe. They had a blast and it was hysterical to see these two little people enjoy the rides. They ran from place to place wanting more and more. Bella is a little more adventurous than Henry and is up for anything! Their dads also rode some of the rides with them, which was also pretty hysterical. The kids decided they wanted to rid ethe log flume, which was a pretty big ride. So, they did, with their dads. Needless to say, it did NOT go over very well. Sean and Bella were in the front and got soaked! Henry and Bella were both terrified on the way down and we have a pretty funny picture to prove it. (I'll try and get that on here sometime- I'm not skilled with a scanner)

We were so happy that they drove to see us. I think that there are a few hard things about our nomadic lifestyle, but one of the hardest is to make such wonderful friends and then to leave them. We are so blessed to have made good friends everywhere we've lived, I just wish they would all move with us!









Next we had our Alison! Or, Oopie as the boys call her. My sister came for her first visit as well. The boys can't get enough of Aunt Oopie. I understand, I can't get enough of her either. She's a wonderful sister and aunt. This time, I think Henry may have been using her somewhat to get at her Nintendo DS! Ha! That's the 2nd thing he said to her. "Hey Oopie! Where's your game?" Oopie came when she did because it was Harry's first birthday! So, she helped me get ready for a little birthday party for Harry. We baked cakes and made cookies for a little get together with some friends here (friends that also live here that we know from NC). However, the boys and I got sick and we didn't get to have the party! Boo hoo. Luckily, we had already done a family dinner and cake so we did get pictures!

The day after my sister left, my mom came for 10 days! We had an awesome visit with Grammy. As I was downloading pics, I realized that I didn't have a single pic of Grammy with my camera! I guess we picked up her camera each time to take pictures of her with the boys, so she'll have to send me some to post. I was so bummed! Anyway, we did some shopping and lots of park hopping since it got warm while she was here. We went to the movies and played lots and lots of trains and read lots and lots of books. Its so nice to have her visit with us. She helps me so much and she's always a pleasure to be with. Its just nice to have MY mommy with me! I miss her terribly and the initial few days after she leaves are ALWAYS VERY HARD for me. I try to be thankful for the time we had and not stay sad for too long. After all, she'll be back in June!

Thanks for all the memories to all of our visitors! We LOVE when friends come to see us!

The little things...

Just wanted to share this picture that is so precious to me. It so captures the blessings that I've been given. 3 wonderful guys to share my life with. I love this picture. As much as these our two little boys love me, they just live for time with their daddy. I think he feels the same way. Mommy is good for many things, but there are some things that only a daddy can do...especially when it comes to boys. It'll be funny one day as Henry and Harry become older to keep snapping shots like this one...as their shoes get bigger and bigger, possibly getting bigger than daddy's! Maybe then his shoes will be on top. For now, I want to treasure every moment of tiny little shoes in my house.

Well, I'm getting better I must say....its been just one month since my last post! Funny thing is, what I want to blog about today is a follow up on my last post. Let me forewarn you, its a long one.



One of the things that I have come to love about authentic Christians is that they are not afraid to share their mistakes, their trials and the things that they struggle with. This is so important to me. It makes Jesus so real to me and it levels the field. It makes others more comfortable to share their struggles. God gives us one another to help through those struggles. If no one shares or is authentic, then everyone just thinks they're alone in their struggle!



I remember distinctly when I asked Jesus to come into my heart and to be my Savior. I was young and I remember using those words and I remember a very real, very moving response from Him. However, as I grew in age, I didn't really grow as a Christian. I just heard someone put it as "Well, I'm a Christian, let's see what happens next"..and that perfectly describes my experience. It wasn't until much later that I began to crave more. I met some people who had a real, tangible joy in their lives and they talked about Jesus. Like they knew him! Imagine that?!! It was then and after some tough experiences in my life that I really began pursuing the Lord. He had been with me all the time and I am so in awe and humbled and grateful for His faithfulness. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He protected me from much harm that could have come my way because of some of the choices I made. So back to my point of authenticity...I need to share a struggle I am having.




If you remember, my last post was about making Valentine's Day cards and filling them with loving verses from God's word. As I was finding the verses for the cards, God's Word and His Holy Spirit convicted me of some things. In particular the Word:



"v43You have heard that it was said 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy', But I say to you 'love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is heaven.... v46 ....for if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? " Matthew 5:43, 46

"For if you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? for even sinners do the same. ...But love your enemies and do good, and lend expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, ....be merciful even as your Father is merciful." Luke 6: 32-36

"..Just as I have love you, you are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35



"Love.. it does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful..." 1 Corinthians 3:5b



"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord as forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful " Colossians 3:12-15



The Lord convicted me of not forgiving someone whom I thought I had forgiven. This is a very tender, close relationship - one that is familial. It has always been a struggle to maintain neutral ground and for the sake of family, I have honestly tried to do so. However, it seems that there is always an issue, a problem, an event that sends any progress made to the depths of the pit. I have been so lost with all of this and really feel like I haven't been able to discern what God was telling me- almost as thought I couldn't get through to Him. As if He wasn't hearing me. And then as I was reading the preceding verses it became very clear to me. James 2:19 tells us "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." I hadn't forgiven this person for hurt that I thought I had forgiven - with every issue or event, it would all come rushing back to me. The hurt, the anger, the resentfulness, the self righteousness, the just pure ugliness in my heart would come back with a vengeance. Was God showing this to me so that I could really deal with it? Was he lovingly not answering me so that He could reveal my sin to me? My sin of real unforgiveness...just a surface level forgiveness was not pleasing to him. As I looked deep into my heart, I did and still do have anger, bitterness, resentfulness in my heart concerning this person- but this is someone whom I had HONESTLY grown to LOVE- for real- which was progress! However, I was letting my anger destroy that love. I was focused on myself, my pride and not on God's love- or on loving this someone with God's love. Loving this person in spite of our differences - or more so because of them! I can easily love someone who agrees with me or someone who does as I do, believes as I believe - "even the sinners do that" Jesus says. - We're all sinners, but I think the Word is saying that's easy! "Anyone" can do that, but can you do what's hard? I am trying...rather, I am letting God work in me to do so. I want to confess my anger and bitterness when it arises and let him slowly and lovingly remove it from my life.


I would love to have an amazing, really authentic relationship with this person, but I'm finally realizing that it may never be. That absolutely saddens me, but I hold onto that somehow, somewhere, someday, God will use it for good and to carry out His purposes. That is what I cling to. While I don't think I'll be satisfied with what it is right now, I am satisfied that God has given me instruction of what to do and how to act.- Love anyway- fiercely in fact I think. It takes a fierce love to love someone who doesn't really like the sight of you face or sound of your name! I continue to pray for repair of the relationship and I thank Him and praise Him for revealing to me my sin and for lighting my path in His ways. I pray he continues to show me the error of my ways and helps me to understand Him more, know Him more and ultimately to love others as He has loved me. Undeniably, In spite of myself, faithfully, publicly, privately, tenderly. I want others to see Him in me. He is my treasure.

If you would, please remember me in your prayers sometime and pray for healing and restoration of this relationship and for a chance to show God's love. Thank you for reading. He has a lot of work to still do in me and I think sharing is part of His process.

Forgiven, Cameron

Valentine's Day

Since we were in NC this Valentine's Day away from our beloved, I really wanted to take this "made up" holiday and do something good and fun for the boys, so I began to think of what we could do. We always make homemade valentine cards for family members and this year we decided to make some extra ones. I wanted to focus on LOVE... our love for each other and where that comes from- God. I wanted to put the focus on showing His love to others. So, we pulled out the craft supplies and began to get to work. There was red, white, shades of pink and purple paper. Glue, scissors, stickers, paint and markers...all the stuff that makes it fun..and we had fun! We made Valentines for almost 3 hours! My sister in law, Laura, Henry and I cut and glued and stuck until we we ran out of supplies!

As we were putting the cards together, I spent some time talking with Henry about why we were doing this. Focusing on God's word in Matthew 22:37-39. Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." So we talked about how making these cards for other people, that tell them of God's love for them, we are in a way loving our neighbors as God commanded us- that we can show others God's love by little and big things that we do for them.

We had spent some time beforehand choosing some Bible Verses to include on the handmade cards to remind others how much God loves them and how He always will love them. Some of the verses we chose were:

Jeremiah 31:3 "I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you." esv

Psalm 100:5 "For the Lord is good: His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations." esv

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." esv

John 13:34 "...just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." esv

My dad, Henry and I took the Valentines to a local nursing home. Before we went, I discussed with Henry some of the things he might see and again why we were going to to give these valentine cards to people we didn't know. I was AMAZED at how well Henry did. He actively spoke with the residents, touched them and went up and down the halls looking for people who needed a valentine! It was such a blessing to see him showing others kindness and compassion. We had some wonderful conversations with some of the residents and I really did feel the Holy Spirit at work that day. I felt very privileged and humbled to be there loving other people. I'll remember that first civic experience with Henry forever.

It is my prayer that these valentines and their message from God's word bring comfort and hope to someone who is in need of it. That God will use them to encourage and lift up one of His children and give them hope!

I hope that out of it Henry will begin learning to put others first- not as an afterthought, but with intention and forethought. That Henry and Harry as well as myself will develop a heart that loves to give out of love and obedience to God and I hope it comes with some sacrifice, so that God builds strong character in us. I hope the Lord will continue to grow and use us up for His glory. I am so grateful that his "mercies are new every morning" Lamentations 3:23, and that He is SO faithful to me. The most perfect Daddy who always picks me up and dusts me off and says "lets try again, sweetheart, I am with you. You can do it with my help"...thank you Daddy! I love you.

I'm Back!

WOW! Yes, I know...it's been 2 months since my last post. That certainly hasn't been because there hasn't been anything to record...I've just been on a whirlwind adventure I feel like and really haven't taken the time to 'collect' my thoughts enough to post them. I honestly thought I'd have SO MUCH time to read, blog, and relax while I was on my sabbatical in NC, but things certainly worked out differently! I think I also had a case of the lazies during this time... I sometimes feel like I am just a kid again when I am at my parents house.....

The boys and I have had a wonderful time spending so much time with family and friends. We did visit so many people and made lots of new memories, but would you believe that we still didn't get to see everyone we wanted to see?! I always have the best intentions and I really believe that I'm going to get it all done, but I never do. We'd travel for a couple of days here and then there and frankly, I did drop some plans because I felt I needed to give the boys a rest! They were so great and flexible and I am amazed at how they adapt. The good Lord certainly knew the plans He had for us and gave us personalities that could handle the nomadic lifestyle we've grown accustomed too.

I thought about all the places I've been and decided that I would count all the moves that I personally have made since I left home at age 18 to begin college...17 years ago. Can you believe that I have lived in 18 different places since then! I couldn't believe it! That's more than one move a year! Sweet Henry will be 4 in June and has lived in 4 states. He's off to a good start!

So, I am back. We leave on Sunday for Minnesota. We'll be in a hotel for several days before we close on the 26th. Please pray that we have a safe and uneventful trip and that we (Brent and I)ease back into our lifestyle of living together again. We've really missed one another, but I think we grow accustomed to really only having to think of ourselves when we're apart for times like this. We have to remember to put the other first again and it usually takes about a week to get back into the groove of things! I have missed our family times so much! The boys have missed their daddy and can not wait to be reunited! Its been a long 3 months and I hope we never have to do it again, but we are SO grateful that we had a place to go where we could be loved and nutured away from Brent. We know how blessed we are to have the kind of parents we do and hope that they realize how much we appreciate them.

I'll continue to post some things from our trip to NC, as I go through photos and such!