With All Our Love

May the wonder be new

and the joy be yours this Christmas!

Still Small Voice

What does the voice of the Lord sound like?

"...And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice."
1 Kings 19: 11-12

Have you ever heard the voice of the Lord so very clear, you know without a doubt what God is telling you? I always pray and ask God for wisdom and guidance, but this was different.

Very different.

Last night, I woke up for a feeding as I do many nights. After Aaron went back to sleep I tried settling back in bed. For some reason, an image of boy I saw that day at Costco came to my mind. I remembered I noticed how he was being pushed by someone, whom I thought was his dad. I then noticed his dad was with another man. I was hoping so badly that they were not this child's parents. Maybe they were just friends or uncles. But as I walked behind them through the freezer section, from the looks of it, this indeed was a "family."

For some reason, they were heavily on my heart last night when I was trying to get back to sleep. Why was this bothering me so much? Was it merely my own stereo-types? What's wrong with two men providing a needy-child with a loving environment? But God is the creator of family. I started wondering how this "family" came to be. Did they adopt this boy when he was a baby? What kind of adoption was it? Was it an open adoption? Did someone knowingly place a child in their care? Or did one of them try to adopt, not revealing their sexual identity. Is that even a concern when placing a child for adoption? As a social worker, these questions were very concerning to me. I wondered if a young mother who can't provide for her child, would rather place her child in this type care? I remembered when I was a young mother, not really knowing how to face the future. Not knowing what would be the best for my child. I had to cling to the promises found in God's word. I knew God's plan was bigger than mine. I immediately started thinking what I could do to help. Then I heard a still small voice. So clear.

"Volunteer at the local pregnancy center."

Oh, no. I couldn't do that. I don't have the time. I'm a very busy Mom. And I work full time.

I heard it again.

"Volunteer at the local pregnancy center."

Really? Even if it's just for 30 min on my lunch break?

"Really. Even if it's just for 30 min on your lunch break."

Really? Even if it means getting off an hour or two early every week?

"Really. Even if it means getting off early every week.

I wrote your story. I made you who you are. I gave you what you have. Now, I want you to give it all back to me. Call. "

So I did. First thing this morning. Unworthy. I am unworthy. But not useless. I heard the voice of the Lord. So clear.

Here I am, Lord. Use me.

"The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands."

Psalm 138: 8

Baby Food

Meal times are fun now that we all sit around the table together. Aaron usually eats right before we eat, and sits in his high chair and plays while we eat. When Aaron sees his high chair he gets all excited and knows it's time to eat!


We started him on cereal and he did great with it. But it was getting to the point that everyone was trying to sneak him food when Mommy wasn't looking because was acting so interrested what we were eating. So I knew it was time to introduce him to more foods. I've never been one to attempt to make-your-own baby food, but I checked out a few websites.

Supposedly, the more foods you introduce your baby to, the more variety they will eat when they are older. This site has been the most helpful:


I used these pumpkins. We were just going to throw them out, we just got them for decorating.


Here's the end result! Pumpkin and Peas. He loves them! I probably have enough to last until he starts school! I can't believe I never tried this before with the other two kids. It's so easy! And saves a ton of money too!

"Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food."

Genesis 1:29

Natural

So it is true, I love pictures. I love capturing the moment or occasion. But some of my favorites are the ones that are completely candid and natural.

The inspiration for this picture came from Alisia herself. 6 years ago. A new big sister. Only 4 years old. She was utterly facinated by her baby brother and captivated by his every move and sound. We took them to get a sibling picture and she couldn't keep her eyes (or hands) off him. The lady taking the picture kept getting frustrated and insisting that she look at the camera. Finally I asked if she could just take a natural one with Alisia talking to and looking at Caleb.


I loved the way it turned out and only ordered this one pose.
This is truly natural.

Perfect Snowy Day

What a great way to get into the Christmas spirit!
On Saturday, it snowed!! A lot!!

The beatiful thick kind perfect for playing in it!

It snowed all day long. We got around 8+ inches! We were so glad it was Saturday and we didn't have anywhere we needed to be!

So we....

.....ALL played outside

.....made a snowman (then it fell over!)

.....and went sledding

Aaron was so cute and cuddley all bundled up! He got mad though cause he could barely move! He didn't last long, but he had fun, too!

THEN we.....

.....had hot chocolate

.....watched the Christmas Classic It's a Wonderful Life!

.....and put up our Christmas tree. But more on that later!

For now, enjoy this quick sledding clip!

The Plumber

This was our 1st own-your-own-home,-can't-call-the-landlord issue. Our toilet was leaking. BAD!

So of course, I had to call the hottest plumber in town!

Because when you own your own home, you have to learn these things! He had to pull up the whole toilet! This was when he was finnishing up the nitty-gritty. See that beautiful smile and big brown eyes--that is the face of success!!

Thankyou Mi Amor, I love you! Your the best! Now lets talk about that payment plan....

Gobble, Gobble

Thanksgiving Update


In my journey for joyfulness, I've been amazing how a thankful heart leads to a joyful heart. This must be one reason why God wanted the Israelites not to forget the things he did for them. He wanted them to tell their children and their children's children. He wanted them to remember and be thankful. He wanted them to trust in him with their lives. Thankfulness produces joyfulness.

"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them."
Deuteronomy 4:9

"Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy."
Psalm 107:22

3 Neighbors spent the night. Everyone chipped in and we whipped up a big breakfast! Lots of hands in the kitchen sure made the work go fast! With eggs, bacon, sausage gravy, fruit, cinnamon rolls, yummm! Then everyone helped with the dishes.

After breakfast, we made a Thankful Tree. The leaves had things we are thankful for. I was laughing at Angel cause he had such a hard time with this. Caleb is such a little ham for the girls and always making them laugh. He said he was thankful for "Lady's Hair." And drew a picture of long hair. Must be a guy thing.

That evening, we headed to Joe's house for some Turkey! Last year, we had Thanksgiving at our house. This year, he wanted to host it at his new house. Hey, works for me! He made a yummy turkey and there was a ton of delicious food! The best part of course was all being together.

And we even got to talk to Jarrod and Stephanie in Korea and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving. They celebrated their thanksgiving 14 hours before we did! Click here to visit their blog and tell theim hi!

Ready and waiting patiently for his turkey! Check out that adorable bib.

Friends. Family.

Do not be silent. Give Thanks.

Rest. This day. So much more.

A Faithful God.

I am thankful.

Looking so forward to Christmas!

Do Not Be Silent

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night."

Psalm 92:1-2

"I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness
and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High."

Psalm 7:17

"You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever."

Psalm 30:11-12

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

Psalm 100:4

"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done."

Psalm 105:1

"Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Psalm 106:1

"You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you."

Psalm 118:28

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Corinthians 15:57

"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign."

Rev 11:17

Operation Christmas Child

The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Today is the deadline for local shoebox collections. You can still send your box in to the Boone, NC office until December 31. We finished our boxes this weekend!


To start, we began praying that God will show us things to include in the shoe box that will be special to the child receiving the shoebox. We prayed that God will use this shoe box to bless that child and show the child God's love.

We love this project! As the kids are growing and anticipate this project more and more, each year has been different. This year, we invited our neighbors to help us pack a shoe box. They loved this and ended up helping fill 3 additional boxes making 5 boxes total!


This year we started early with our shoe box collections and collected many $1.00 items or less as we saw items reduced or on sale throughout the year. This made packing our boxes so much easier!

To finish packing our boxes, we just headed to the store, which was a little crazy with my 3 plus 3 neighbors. But they each got $5 and got to spend it how they felt lead. They sure made their $ stretch!


After we finished packing and wrapping our boxes, the kids included a personal note, drawing, and our address.


The kids had so many questions about how this works. So we spent a lot of time on the website reading the stories. We are so used to being on the receiving end and have an over abundance of "things." They are amazed that this could be the only Christmas gift a child might receive! Alisia is looking forward to taking a trip with her class to the central office when she is in 8th grade to help with shipping.

It's so much fun being able to do this as a group and consider the ways we can share in the gospel being spread across the world. The kids are so faithful to remember to pray for the children who will receive the boxes! And for one of our neighbors, it was the first time she said she ever prayed. I can't wait to read the follow-up stories on the website and show the kids how easy it is to be involved in sharing God's love.

"I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."

I Cor 9:23

Purpose

CREATED TO GLORIFY GOD AND TO ENJOY HIM FOREVER!

"I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever."

Psalm 86:12

Pray for Joy

Since going back to work after Aaron has been born, my heart has been full of myself and complaining. After confessing this to God, I asked a friend to help me pray for joy especially in the home, since I only have a few precious hours with my family at the end of the day. Sometimes I feel like all they get is "the leftovers" after I put in my all at work.

I finally got a chance to put the dishes away and fold the laundry after everyone was asleep. The house was quiet and I checked my e-mail and facebook. I went to bed a little later than usual, but was all "caught up." It was hard to drift off to sleep cause my mind was still stiring with the "latest gossip." A few minutes after I finally got to sleep, I heard Aaron awake. Grrrrr. So I was back out of bed.

Why can joyfulness be so hard to find? Is the joy of the Lord really my strength? Am I so distracted from putting my Hope in Him? Do I trust Him to overflow my heart with joy? Sometimes I feel like I have good reason to complain. Sometimes it is so hard to get a good nights sleep. But by praying for joy, God is slowly changing my heart.

I stepped into Aaron's room to check on him. He wasn't really awake, but he was just making that noise trying to get himself back to sleep. I picked him up out of his crib and sat down with him in the rocker. His tired smile turned into a yawn as he closed his eyes. I gazed at his beatiful face and delicate features as he curled up against my chest. He always seems to find "that spot" that was made just for him. I immediately started thanking God for this chance when the house was quite to hold him close with no distractions. I started praising God for all of my children and praying for their future. Praying that Aaron would come to know Jesus as his Savior and never remember a day without him. And thanking God that Alisia and Caleb will always have this blessing of knowing him as their Savior at such a young age.

I realized that he was back asleep. I didn't want to lay him down. I was loving this moment. Then I realized....WOW, I've got joy in my heart! That is what JUST what I asked God for! I laid Aaron back in bed so I could get just a few hours of sleep. But it felt so good. I was joyful.

A dear friend recently wrote me these encouraging words in an e-mail and I thought I'd share them:

How many joyful moments we miss only because of the wrong perspective at that time. I just pray that we have the right one everytime for the sake of our children, our marriage, our family and our future generations...the only cost that it comes with is sacrifising our own ego, being selfless at those moments....

Yes, the only cost is being selfless. To think, that could change future generations! The distraction is not worth it! I do not need to keep up with everything everyone else is doing. In this technology-crazed age, why do we think we have to stay informed and up-to-date? Don't get me wrong, I love definately enjoy facebook, blogging, and instant messaging. I love how I can share in the lives of my friends and family in this way. But why do we let those things steal from us time we have for carrying out God's purpose in our life?

The enemy wants us to be distracted from finding joy. He does not want us to be a light to point others to God. How Satan must enjoy seeing our complaining hearts tear down our lives. May the Lord renew your joy today! May we pass on the heritage of a joyful heart! Oh that the joy we find in Him may transform our home!

"Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart."

Psalm 119:111

Payback!

"This is for all those times you squeeze MY cheeks!
Here's what it feels like, sissy."

The Tale of the Momma Possum

There once was a ‘possum who gave birth to a beautiful baby possum. He had big bright eyes, a soft shiny coat, and a long fluffy tail. Every day, the baby possum got more and more beautiful and the momma possum was so thankful that she got to be the mother of the most beautiful possum ever created. This momma possum took very good care of her baby possum because he was so special.

One day the momma possum was waiting for her baby possum to come home. She was very worried that something awful had happened to him so she set out to find him.

First she saw a fox and said “Mr. Fox, have you seen a beautiful baby possum with big bright eyes, a soft shiny coat and a long fluffy tail? He’s the most beautiful possum ever created and I’m very worried something has happened to him.”
The fox replied, “I’m sorry ma’am, but I haven’t seen a thing.”

The momma possum went on her way and she saw a skunk. “Mr. Skunk, have you seen a beautiful baby possum with a soft shiny coat and a fluffy tail? He’s the most beautiful possum ever created and I’m very worried that something has happened to him.”

The skunk replied, “I’m very sorry ma’am, lots of possums pass by these parts, but I haven’t seen one to that description.”
The worried momma possum kept looking for her son when she saw a hen and asked, “Mrs. Hen, have you seen a beautiful baby possum with a soft shiny coat and a fluffy tail? I’m very worried that something has happened to him.”

The Hen replied, “I’m sorry ma’am, I have to scare off lots of possums around this place. But I haven’t seen one like that. But I did run off a scroungy ol’ ratty possum! That lil' fleebag was trying to bother my chicks. I had to chase the ugly thing off ‘cause these here chicks are the most beautiful chicks ever created.

Then the mother possum answered the hen, “Oh, Mrs. Hen, that’s my son! Don’t you know that for every mother, there’s no ugly child.”

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Ok so maybe it sounds better in Spanish. But Angel says I’m the momma possum! Angel's mom used to tell him this story, so now it's my favorite Mexican folk-tale!
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The three Most Beautiful Children ever created:

Hard to Resist

Check out this adorable little baby!


So soft


So cuddly


So special


So precious & sweet


That angelic look


That precious button nose


That squeezable smile


That squishable face


That ticklish belly


Those irresistible big brown eyes


His contagious laugh


Those kissable cheeks


His huggable little body


How can you resist this?