Learning to ski...

Grandpa gave Isaac a taste of what it is like to go skiing over New Years...

HE LOVED IT!

And this weekend, he will learn to ski, with his Grandpa, Mama and Daddy there, not to mention Grandma, Aunti Mandy and Aunti Carol - and even Mercedes ...

Don't worry, I will post pictures of the actual ski event shortly...

Coloring is hard work...

Mama makes me have time without the TV every day. We call it "music time", but sometimes she gives in and lets me have other things I normally don't get unless it's bed time... any guesses what she might give me?

I earned it, after all, coloring is hard work, I needed a snack, some milk and the very thing I am not suppose to have outside my bed...

I am beginning to like "music time"...

My "office"

I have made a place for mama to "work" while Isaac plays... I will sit here and work on my 2nd book, I will blog, I will finalize board meeting materials for the Ministry, and I will complete the tasks of the day... here...

Although, Isaac and I have do have a shared space... I have taken over the shelves in his play closet. I have only taken the shelves that he cannot reach mind you...

Can you tell I LOVE my label maker?

Lots of work has gotten done here, hopefully lots of work in the future will get done here as well...

Temptation...

Dear Jesus,

Please remind me that if Isaac cannot eat the entire snack bowl in one sitting, I should probably resist as well. Do not remove the temptation, just remind me every now and then without causing bodily harm or discomfort.

I know my son would agree, and so I praise you for suckers and fruit snacks, they are just wonderful things. Will they be there when we meet? I think they should be, if my opinion matters at all, with regards to the food you provide in Heaven...

Amen

"Creative Play"

My sister is a teacher and I love her. Her daughter has been known to get into some "creative play" moments every now and then... my son however, well, let's just say... I keep an eye out for those moments...

One night, we were brushing our teeth and I go to put the tooth brush & paste away and turn around and find this...

Mama said " Isaac can you show mama what you are eating?"

He was a good boy and did exactly what mama asked...

Apparently he found his way into the hot dog buns and wanted a little snack before bed time...

I was laughing so hard I would not even get mad, after all, it's just a hot dog bun right?

Mama "It's time for bed Isaac..."

Isaac "I wanna sleep with this..."

Mama "Not tonight baby..."

I will let my son sleep with toy cars, even ones made out of wood, tons of animals and toys of all kinds... but a hot dog bun... I think not... it might be more mess than mama can handle...

Nana's Birthday...

Starla, not only are you my son's Nana... you are my mother-in-law who I love dearly. You tell me straight up how it is. You have prayed over me and for me. You have loved me at my best and at the not so good moments. You have encouraged me to walk in the way of the Lord and you have supported me along the way. I love you. You are one of my best friends and I cannot praise the Lord enough for you!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Nana

Nana's Birthday is Sunday the 21st, so we created a special video for her...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It still hurts...

We are still missing her...

Time away...

Got a call tonight that has rocked my world... I am sorry, I am taking time to just be with Him and His word... more later...

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

When I am alone,
When I am alone,
When I am alone,
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

When I come to die,
When I come to die,
When I come to die,
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

Wordless Wednesday

Even More Changes...

Can you see what is on the horizon?

Yep... mama bought toddler underwear at Target...

Here's to even more changes... I will miss my baby as I watch him grow up, but I will not miss the diapers...

More changes...

Not only do I hate change and think it is rather rough to get use to... I think changes refines us, makes us new, and sometimes means we do things we normally would not ever do... like creat "art" from things one already had around the house...

You see, I am not proud of this, but I NEVER keep anything. I often throw things away or donate them, rather than re-using them... and today, I re-used something. I created art for our home out of an old frame I had, some scrapbook paper, some ribbon and some wall decals... and you know, I actually like it. And it was not that painful. Although I shattered the glass the frame originally had, aside from some cuts, it was a rather painless process... dare I even say fun...

But then there is the part of change I LOVE... I love the part that comes after one is refined and made new... the part that comes after a new haircut or a new paint color on the wall... you know, a new hair cut can make one feel younger, sexier, smarter, new, sassy, and so on... well, a can of paint can do the same thing for one's home. And a little change, can do the same to one's soul.

So, I love where this journey of restless sleep, anxious mornings, afternoon naps spent in the Word while tears streamed down my face has gotten me...

I am not saying I am a fan of change, I can just tolerate it much better now, even look at it as a blessing...

Changes... I hate change...

There have been a lot of changes in my personal life over the past few weeks. Sorry about not writing for a while, but I really just had to take some time and “discuss” the changes with Him. And by “discuss”, I mean passionately talk about in a very large and firm voice.

I am not a person who thrives on change, in fact, change makes me anxious, nervous, fearful and frankly just plain old pissed off. But, now that a little bit of time has passed, I am more at peace with the changes. I am okay with where the Lord is taking me and what He is doing in my life.

I recently spent some time with Him, curled up in my bed, surrounded by pillows and lots of blankets. I opened His word, and this is what I found.

Isaiah 30:15-18 (New International Version)

¹⁵ This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.

¹⁶ You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.'
Therefore you will flee!
You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.'
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!

¹⁷ A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill."

¹⁸ Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!

You see, as I began to really look into what these scriptures were talking about I found out that this scripture was written during a time when God had warned Judah that turning to Egypt and other nations for military assistance would not necessarily “save” them. There is no amount of “discussion” that would possibly speed up the Lord’s timing for His plan for our lives. No matter where we might look for assistance, He is the only one we really need. You see, salvation comes from the Lord alone and because he has saved us, we can trust Him. We can be peacefully confident that He will give us the strength we need to face the “wars” or changes that may come our way.

I have come to learn that stepping aside and allowing Him to just do His thing brings peace, joy, excitement and rest. So for now, while I adjust to the new changes in my life, I will also sit back and watch Him work and praise Him every step of the way. After all, He longs to be gracious to me, he rises to show me compassion and will bless me as I wait for him. Right?

Bath time... Mohawk...

Every boy...

... must have a Mohawk...

... at some point in life...

Needed to talk to Grandpa...

Isaac needed to talk to Grandpa... but it took mama a little while to figure out what he wanted...

But once mama translated the toddler talk...

Isaac proceeded to tell Grandpa all about Nhyja going to see Jesus...

... the new movie he has fallen in love with... (which is the movie titled "Up")

... and then simply said "I wove you, ni ni ganpa"...

SoMeTiMeS....

When things get a little piled up and when our "dirty dishes" get out of control...

... sometimes we need the Word...

... a blanket, a monkey, and our binky...

... some crayons, a few colored pencils, a highlighter or two ...

... and a little time, just to look up and see Him...

Our conversations over the last three days...

Mama: "Nhyja has an owie and we cannot fix it..."

Isaac: "Oh... puppy needs Handy Manny band-aid..."

Mama: "Her owie can't be fixed with a Handy Manny band-aid..."

Mama: "Isaac, Nhyja is going to go bye bye, she is going to be with Jesus and won't be at our home anymore."

Isaac: "Okay"

Mama: "Isaac, say bye bye to Nhyja... it's nap time, do you remember when we talked about her owie and that she is going to be with Jesus ..."

Isaac: "Ni Ni puppy, I wove you..."

Mama comes home from the "appointment"...

Isaac: "I wanna see the puppy.... where is the puppy"

Isaac to Grandpa on Sunday night: "I miss Nhyja, she's with Wesus (Jesus)"...

Isaac to Mama before bed time: "I wav puppy, mama..."

Mama to Isaac: "Me too baby... me too..."