Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
life.
let me lay some ground work for you before we dive into this post: this is written with a heart of love, of compassion, and from a heart that the Holy Spirit has totally torn to shreds on the topic, which is what warranted a post that i'm sure will cause even more "friends" to defriend me on facebook or put me (once again) in the crazy-conservative-bigot category (which i pray through grace i am not).
my husband and i have long felt the desire to adopt a child. we know it's not now, and we know we aren't through having our own, but we know that The Lord has called us to adopt one of his children as he adopted us many years ago when we chose salvation through grace in Jesus. i personally think we will have four of our own and adopt a fifth, but when i told that to bryce, he looked at me like i had completely gone bonkers...not as if that reaction is abnormal in our house:)
my father in law whom i love DEARLY is adopted, and we are so thankful God used his adoptive family to shape him into the man he is today. he is the cornerstone of our family, a tried and true man after God's own heart who has shared his triumphs and failures with the world with hope that we could all see the never-ending love and grace God has for his children.
okay, now that we've done some house cleaning...
as most of you know, the 40th anniversary of roe v. wade was last month. as a Christian, i am a pro-life advocate, but i had always backed away from the topic for fear of the intense debate that would ensue. as i have mentioned before, i am no longer going to be a timid Christian, meaning i will no longer back away or apologize for my convictions...
i guess i never really sat down to think about the effect this law has had on our country until my husband told me to listen to the life sermon by matt chandler of the village church in flower mound. five minutes into the podcast, my eyes flooded with tears and my heart was hurting. i was physically sobbing, much like mourning the death of a family member. i imagined the pain one would feel if their child was sexually assaulted for years as he referenced the penn state ordeal. i then imagined the complete misery and helplessness that would overcome my entire being if i received a phone call that my child had been gunned down in their kindergarten classroom. i knew the premise of the sermon because bryce had given me an overview, and i instantly knew where chandler was taking this...
we have been blessed that we have two beautifully healthy children that we had no problem conceiving. we could click our heels three times in different states and become pregnant and we have never been more aware of how blessed we are and how generous The Lord has been to us. over the last few years, we have sat and cried with loved ones that have lost small children. we have begged the Lord to give the gift of a child to sweet friends who so desperately longed for a baby of their own. we have cried with precious people who have miscarried. it never gets easier...
i am BEGGING you to listen to this sermon. it is only 35 minutes long. if you don't want to listen to it because i'm "on one of those crazy Christian rants" that's fine...listen to it for the facts. listen to the statistics that are given. listen to it for concrete social issues that are occurring in other countries.
Life (Matt Chandler, The Village Church, Texas)
please know that there is no judgement coming from me. there are people i love dearly in my life who have had abortions, and they are covered by grace through Jesus the same as i am.
my husband and i have long felt the desire to adopt a child. we know it's not now, and we know we aren't through having our own, but we know that The Lord has called us to adopt one of his children as he adopted us many years ago when we chose salvation through grace in Jesus. i personally think we will have four of our own and adopt a fifth, but when i told that to bryce, he looked at me like i had completely gone bonkers...not as if that reaction is abnormal in our house:)
my father in law whom i love DEARLY is adopted, and we are so thankful God used his adoptive family to shape him into the man he is today. he is the cornerstone of our family, a tried and true man after God's own heart who has shared his triumphs and failures with the world with hope that we could all see the never-ending love and grace God has for his children.
okay, now that we've done some house cleaning...
as most of you know, the 40th anniversary of roe v. wade was last month. as a Christian, i am a pro-life advocate, but i had always backed away from the topic for fear of the intense debate that would ensue. as i have mentioned before, i am no longer going to be a timid Christian, meaning i will no longer back away or apologize for my convictions...
i guess i never really sat down to think about the effect this law has had on our country until my husband told me to listen to the life sermon by matt chandler of the village church in flower mound. five minutes into the podcast, my eyes flooded with tears and my heart was hurting. i was physically sobbing, much like mourning the death of a family member. i imagined the pain one would feel if their child was sexually assaulted for years as he referenced the penn state ordeal. i then imagined the complete misery and helplessness that would overcome my entire being if i received a phone call that my child had been gunned down in their kindergarten classroom. i knew the premise of the sermon because bryce had given me an overview, and i instantly knew where chandler was taking this...
we have been blessed that we have two beautifully healthy children that we had no problem conceiving. we could click our heels three times in different states and become pregnant and we have never been more aware of how blessed we are and how generous The Lord has been to us. over the last few years, we have sat and cried with loved ones that have lost small children. we have begged the Lord to give the gift of a child to sweet friends who so desperately longed for a baby of their own. we have cried with precious people who have miscarried. it never gets easier...
i am BEGGING you to listen to this sermon. it is only 35 minutes long. if you don't want to listen to it because i'm "on one of those crazy Christian rants" that's fine...listen to it for the facts. listen to the statistics that are given. listen to it for concrete social issues that are occurring in other countries.
Life (Matt Chandler, The Village Church, Texas)
please know that there is no judgement coming from me. there are people i love dearly in my life who have had abortions, and they are covered by grace through Jesus the same as i am.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
year end wrap up.
is this FOR REAL the FOURTH year end wrap up i've done?! but in true mommy-of-two fashion, it is late, which is okay since i was in no hurry for 2012 to end. it was such a great year for us...
we kicked off the start of 2012 in oklahoma, which made this pregnant-at-the-time mommy VERY happy. being close to family is something that i hope NONE of you that have that luxury EVER take for granted. EVER.
in january, we tried out gymboree, but i soon realized that my pregnant self wasn't really up to the task of chasing around a 14 month old. we reconnected (randomly at gymboree i might add) with an old friend from high school (kristen) who has a little girl named journey that is five months older than b. these two little girls are so in love with each other and it totally melts me...until we have a meltdown about not getting to go to journey's house and then the cuteness wears off. at the end of the month b started "school" and i am BEYOND thankful for her mother's day out program and her teachers. she had no problems resting on her nap mat, which i had assured her teachers would be a complete disaster. she is such a little social butterfly that i had no idea why i thought it would be less than a success. i also started the mom's bible study at crossings and it has been SUCH an amazing blessing! i am so in love with all the girls in our group. good, good things happen there.
in february, we stumbled upon frontline church (which we found via the acts 29 network) and knew ten minutes into the sermon this was going to be our church home. for the first time in our lives, we have found true and honest gospel community with other people who love Jesus and want to share the truth and freedom he brings to our lives as much as we do. we got plugged in with a c group and they have become family. it is such a blessing!
in march, we celebrated our third wedding anniversary, and the TENTH year we had been a couple. we stayed in and cooked one of our all-time favorite meals and it was a perfect evening.
spring was filled with preparing a special place for graham. our sweet, sweet friends threw a darling shower and helped prevent g from being dressed in 100% pink. daddy wouldn't be too happy with that.
on may 5th at 12 am, i woke up feeling something was "different" with the baby and decided it was time to head to the hospital. our sweet, sweet friend marci (who has saved my bacon more times than i can remember!) came over and stayed at the house until the grandparents could get here. asher graham made his BIG debut at 9:05 am weighing 9 pounds 11 ounces and 21 inches long. PRAISE BE TO JESUS that he was ten days early otherwise this little mama could've had some serious problems pushing out what probably would've ended up being an 11 pounder. OUCH.
summer was HOT. luckily, having a small baby who i was sleep training kept us home and out of the heat (relatively speaking of course). and yes, i am going to brag on myself here: this sleep training nazi had her ten week old baby sleeping 10-12 hours. BAM. (and if this isn't you, don't be discouraged. brice didn't sleep through the night until she was almost six months. there's way less of a learning curve with the second one...)
july - september, we barely saw our daddy as he was working an average of 90 hours a week completing projects. we are so thankful to have a daddy that works hard to provide for us, but it is no fun when he is gone so much.
in august, we found out that we would be getting another niece or nephew, and since it has taken me so long to write this, it's almost that sweet little boy's birthday month! my cousin kevin and his darling wife christine are due at the end of february with a precious little boy who will be named robert michael.
once fall got here, things slowed down. we celebrated brice's second birthday and both littles kept growing like weeds. we made another new friend, elle, who has become the other missing piece to brice's little life. her mom, haylee, makes me smile and i am so thankful for their sweet little family.
our first thanksgiving back in oklahoma was so much fun as we spent ten days at home in fort gibson. christmas was spent at our house (santa doesn't go to grandma's house y'all) and with the exception of me being sick as a dog, it was a great day. brice got a kitchen that santa's favorite elf (her daddy, duh) made for her. (eventually that will get a blog post in itself, but i'm not making any promises on dates.)
reflecting back on 2012, my heart is filled with joy seeing how God has blessed us. we have made new friends and planted some deep roots. i can't even begin to express the joy i feel when i sit back and watch my sweet family grow. these kids have blessed us far beyond anything we could've ever imagined and our marriage continues to grow deeper and stronger.
2013 should be an exciting year as we are planning to build and really settle in. we have been so blessed to rent a lovely house in a fantastic location, but it's time to get somewhere more permanent. and yes, for those of you wondering, we'll probably get ready for number three sometime this summer. maybe. (today is a relatively easy day because b is at school, so i'm more likely to say that at this very moment, ha!)
in 2013, i'm going to challenge myself more: step out more boldly in my faith and be unapologetic in my beliefs and convictions. (don't worry, this doesn't mean i'm going to show up at your door and shove a Bible down your throat.) for the first time in my life, my heart literally breaks for those i love that don't have a personal and close relationship with our Savior. i'm going to be more transparent in my walk and in my struggles. being a Christian is NOT about being perfect. the beauty of being a Christian is despite my infinite flaws, i have a Creator who loves me and wants me to draw near to his heart. i am over the legalistic side of religion (that word literally makes me vomit) and my convictions are to share the love and FREEDOM of Christ.
we are so very blessed. every one of you who have taken stock in our lives, to no matter what degree, you have blessed us. thank you for reading this blog, looking at the many, MANY pictures i splatter everywhere and for being genuinely invested in us. i thank Jesus for all of you. ALL OF YOU.
and as if you haven't seen them before, i'll leave you with a few of my favorite pictures from 2012.
...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. {ephesians 3: 17- 19}
we kicked off the start of 2012 in oklahoma, which made this pregnant-at-the-time mommy VERY happy. being close to family is something that i hope NONE of you that have that luxury EVER take for granted. EVER.
in january, we tried out gymboree, but i soon realized that my pregnant self wasn't really up to the task of chasing around a 14 month old. we reconnected (randomly at gymboree i might add) with an old friend from high school (kristen) who has a little girl named journey that is five months older than b. these two little girls are so in love with each other and it totally melts me...until we have a meltdown about not getting to go to journey's house and then the cuteness wears off. at the end of the month b started "school" and i am BEYOND thankful for her mother's day out program and her teachers. she had no problems resting on her nap mat, which i had assured her teachers would be a complete disaster. she is such a little social butterfly that i had no idea why i thought it would be less than a success. i also started the mom's bible study at crossings and it has been SUCH an amazing blessing! i am so in love with all the girls in our group. good, good things happen there.
in february, we stumbled upon frontline church (which we found via the acts 29 network) and knew ten minutes into the sermon this was going to be our church home. for the first time in our lives, we have found true and honest gospel community with other people who love Jesus and want to share the truth and freedom he brings to our lives as much as we do. we got plugged in with a c group and they have become family. it is such a blessing!
in march, we celebrated our third wedding anniversary, and the TENTH year we had been a couple. we stayed in and cooked one of our all-time favorite meals and it was a perfect evening.
spring was filled with preparing a special place for graham. our sweet, sweet friends threw a darling shower and helped prevent g from being dressed in 100% pink. daddy wouldn't be too happy with that.
on may 5th at 12 am, i woke up feeling something was "different" with the baby and decided it was time to head to the hospital. our sweet, sweet friend marci (who has saved my bacon more times than i can remember!) came over and stayed at the house until the grandparents could get here. asher graham made his BIG debut at 9:05 am weighing 9 pounds 11 ounces and 21 inches long. PRAISE BE TO JESUS that he was ten days early otherwise this little mama could've had some serious problems pushing out what probably would've ended up being an 11 pounder. OUCH.
summer was HOT. luckily, having a small baby who i was sleep training kept us home and out of the heat (relatively speaking of course). and yes, i am going to brag on myself here: this sleep training nazi had her ten week old baby sleeping 10-12 hours. BAM. (and if this isn't you, don't be discouraged. brice didn't sleep through the night until she was almost six months. there's way less of a learning curve with the second one...)
july - september, we barely saw our daddy as he was working an average of 90 hours a week completing projects. we are so thankful to have a daddy that works hard to provide for us, but it is no fun when he is gone so much.
in august, we found out that we would be getting another niece or nephew, and since it has taken me so long to write this, it's almost that sweet little boy's birthday month! my cousin kevin and his darling wife christine are due at the end of february with a precious little boy who will be named robert michael.
once fall got here, things slowed down. we celebrated brice's second birthday and both littles kept growing like weeds. we made another new friend, elle, who has become the other missing piece to brice's little life. her mom, haylee, makes me smile and i am so thankful for their sweet little family.
our first thanksgiving back in oklahoma was so much fun as we spent ten days at home in fort gibson. christmas was spent at our house (santa doesn't go to grandma's house y'all) and with the exception of me being sick as a dog, it was a great day. brice got a kitchen that santa's favorite elf (her daddy, duh) made for her. (eventually that will get a blog post in itself, but i'm not making any promises on dates.)
reflecting back on 2012, my heart is filled with joy seeing how God has blessed us. we have made new friends and planted some deep roots. i can't even begin to express the joy i feel when i sit back and watch my sweet family grow. these kids have blessed us far beyond anything we could've ever imagined and our marriage continues to grow deeper and stronger.
2013 should be an exciting year as we are planning to build and really settle in. we have been so blessed to rent a lovely house in a fantastic location, but it's time to get somewhere more permanent. and yes, for those of you wondering, we'll probably get ready for number three sometime this summer. maybe. (today is a relatively easy day because b is at school, so i'm more likely to say that at this very moment, ha!)
in 2013, i'm going to challenge myself more: step out more boldly in my faith and be unapologetic in my beliefs and convictions. (don't worry, this doesn't mean i'm going to show up at your door and shove a Bible down your throat.) for the first time in my life, my heart literally breaks for those i love that don't have a personal and close relationship with our Savior. i'm going to be more transparent in my walk and in my struggles. being a Christian is NOT about being perfect. the beauty of being a Christian is despite my infinite flaws, i have a Creator who loves me and wants me to draw near to his heart. i am over the legalistic side of religion (that word literally makes me vomit) and my convictions are to share the love and FREEDOM of Christ.
we are so very blessed. every one of you who have taken stock in our lives, to no matter what degree, you have blessed us. thank you for reading this blog, looking at the many, MANY pictures i splatter everywhere and for being genuinely invested in us. i thank Jesus for all of you. ALL OF YOU.
and as if you haven't seen them before, i'll leave you with a few of my favorite pictures from 2012.
...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. {ephesians 3: 17- 19}
Thursday, December 13, 2012
a love letter to my two year old.
my dearest brice,
another year has passed and like the one before it, your beautiful little life has been splashed all over social media for everyone to see. it is truly amazing how many people have grown to love you without being an intricate part of our every day moments. you - WE - are so blessed. don't ever forget that. EVER.
i cannot even begin to wrap my mind around how amazing these last two years have been. i'm not quite sure how - or when - it happened, but you are growing into an absolutely beautiful little girl and there is really very little left of that sweet little baby we brought home that made us a mommy and daddy for the very first time...
watching you grow is nothing short of a miracle. you are so smart (sometimes too smart for your own good!) and you are absolutely hilarious. you have such a loving spirit with enough sass to keep us on our toes. your fits are few and far between, but when you do throw one, girl, you make it count. i can't say i'd expect any less because you are, after all, your mother's daughter. and i'm so sorry you got the mounts temper...but with hope for us all God blessed you with just enough of your daddy's calm temperment that it may - JUST MAY - cancel it out. or at least cut it back a bit.
so, what all has happened in your second year of life?
you made a seamless transition in a big move back to oklahoma and never missed a beat when you moved to the big girl bed. i was so afraid it was going to be a total nightmare when you figured out you could get out of the bed, but it took you a month to do so and you still (THANK GOD) can't open the doors in our house...so for now, you're still trapped. although you will lay in the floor at your door and SCREAM when you want out of your room, which makes me wonder which i'd prefer...
when we brought home your baby brother, you were 18 months old on the nose and you transitioned into being a big sister so much better than anything i could've ever imagined. i thank God for his timing and for giving you that nurturing instinct that i'm told all big sisters have. you will tell mommy when bubba is crying or when he spits, or when he is into something he's not supposed to be. you have started to wipe his face and take his bottles to him and put them in the kitchen when he's finished. you really are becoming such a good helper!
one of my FAVORITE things about you is that you are so funny! i mean really, REALLY funny!
my favorite things you say are:
- saw saw (sausage)
- bar chicken (peanut butter sandwich, which took me a month to figure out what you were saying!)
- no, no, (insert whomever you choose) stop it! (accompanied by a super sassy finger point.)
- you can count to twelve!
- roll call: you go through anyone and everyone you can think of and ask if they are okay.
- pease, tank you, and okay, yes pease (you had a bad habit of replying "okay" when offered something, so i tried to teach you to say "yes, please" instead. of course, you did your own thing and instead reply "okay yes pease." and i love it!)
- you don't sign much anymore (unless you are REALLY upset and can't find your words), which makes me sad, but i'm hoping that will change when bubba starts signing:)
you weigh 32 pounds, are 36 inches tall and rank in the 90% of girls your age. You have the most beautiful curls that I'm certain God himself must've wrapped those things around his very own finger because they are PERFECT. Absolutely perfect.
here are some of your favorite things:
- mickey mouse (and his entourage)
- lion king (or as you say: KAYNG!)
- nemo
- elf on the shelf book/movie ("alp")
- grinch
- shrek
- despicable me, which has been on the top of your list since you were a year old.
- boots
- diva and moose
- christmas trees/lights/cartoons
- coloring
- reading books (your faves are pooh, elf on the shelf, lady bug counting book, i see a monster)
- bathtime
- pizza
- chicken nuggets (chicken nugs as you say)
- MILK. your world revolves around milk.
- chips/crackers in a cup (has to be in a cup or you freak out!)
- yogurt
- pb and honey sammies
- tractors
- playing outside
- your best friends journey and elle
we are so thankful for your continued good health, which is nothing short of a blessing. you are really starting to learn comedic timing and watching you "joke" is so cute. you are such a daddy's girl and he gets a world-class welcome EVERY time he walks through the door. it's darling.
i have been able to see the hand of God working in your sweet little life from the very first day you were born and one of the proudest moments in my life to date is when you started saying your prayers. we thank Jesus each night for our many blessings and you whisper each name back in your angelic voice that melts me. there is nothing sweeter to my ears than hearing "jesus" and "amen" come out of your precious little mouth.
i continually pray that you will come to have a personal relationship with our Savior. i know you will probably grow tired of hearing this, but i want you to KNOW deep in your soul that there is nothing as beautiful as a close and intimate relationship with Jesus. there is freedom in the Lord that nothing in this world will give you, even though society will tell you otherwise. we have been blessed with such an amazing gift that we are saved by grace through Jesus by no merit of our own.
we know that growing pains will be difficult; scripture tells us that. the molding and firing process is never easy, but like years past, i'll remind you of our PROMISE that mommy and daddy will ALWAYS be together and we will ALWAYS be here for you. we are your safe place and although we can't - or won't - always save you from heartache, we will be here to walk beside you through the trials. i promise. PROMISE.
i'm still not quite sure how you are two years old, but what i do know is that you have blessed us beyond anything we could have ever dreamed in a million years. there are no words worthy of the love we have for you and we are so unbelievably grateful Jesus has given us the amazing responsibility of being your mom and dad.
 |
| we'll work on modesty and sitting like a lady in your third year of life:) |
We love you, Brice Elisabeth. Here's to another amazing year...
i will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth i will make your faithfulness known through all generations. i will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. {psalm 89: 1-2}
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
b's mickey party.
as i told y'all a while back, we went ahead and jumped head first into the dreaded theme party...
i have to admit, we may have had more fun than the littles did! i'll be honest when i say we used a two year old's birthday party as cover for an adult party:)
daddy smoked a pork shoulder from a wild boar and some deer (both he shot himself and he was SO proud of that!) and we of course had hot diggity dogs! for the kiddos, we got a pink and purple castle bounce house which was worth EVERY penny. the kids had a blast!!!
my only regret from the day is that i didn't get more photos!
we have a birthday tradition of a ginormous birthday number every year! we have such a sweet (and crafty!) daddy to make these for us. see last year's here.
 |
to make the yarn wrapped two and the balloon two, i purchased a long, narrow styrofoam sheet from hob lob. i then free handed the shape, cut it out with a steak knife (which works beautifully, FYI.) and followed up with some sanding to get the perfect shape. you can see the inspiration (and the uber-simple how-to, of course!) behind the balloon two over at confessions of a plate addict.
again, our super-amazingly-awesome daddio went to work and make us our huge mickey silhouette! he cut it out of some sort of foam insulation sheet from home depot.
our super-duper yummo mini cupcakes and cake were done by the fantastic bakery at uptown grocery in edmond. i CANNOT speak highly enough of them!!! so good, and the best part...cake and two dozen mini cupcakes for $40, including tax! YES. YOU. HEARD. ME. $40. awesome.
of course, huge SHOUT-OUT to my bff, the cricut! i couldn't have made all the paper products with out her!
i wish i would've made a point to tell more guests to use instagram. i was really hoping to have a TON of pics of everyone's kids so i could make an instagram scrapbook...but the ones i did get were great!
my sweet mother in law made these darling mickey and minnie hats for the littles. the boys had buttons and the girls had bows. so cute.
in addition to the bounce house, we also had mickey mouse coloring pages and a cookie decorating table out in the backyard. my brilliant friend cara told me to put the icing and sprinkles in a cupcake tin. genius, i tell ya'. GENIUS.
if you have any questions about how i did anything or where i purchased items, feel free to ask! i would go into more detail about everything, but it appears nap time is over... :)
oh! if you want to see the collaboration of inspiration, go check out my pinterest board!
oh! if you want to see the collaboration of inspiration, go check out my pinterest board!
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