A House Full of Memories

It's been a while!  I've been putting the house together, chasing after my crazy children & just getting to know the area.  I had a LOT of fun unpacking this time around.  It gave me a chance to sit back and reminisce my things.  As I was unpacking, I realized that most of my things were given to me by someone special.

When we first got married, I was in a MAD rush to fill up our house...only to realize that STUFF isn't what makes a house a home.  It's really the people that fill it and the memories you make with them.  I took a picture of a few of my favorite things so that you can get an idea of what I'm talking about.  (And I'm using the word FEW lightly:))

Each cross was given to me or bought somewhere special.  Here goes:  the Baylor cross was from my Gammy, the small yellow cross from Gloria, cross at the very top Ashley, Blue cross at the top right I bought in Cancun with the Honeycutts, small silver cross bottom right was from Mrs. Horky, far right cross was from my mom and the metal cross at the bottom was from my Aunt Darcy.  It's funny because each one of the glass ones has broken at least once in the moves, but gorilla glue has been our friend :)

This cross was made by Reverend Birkelback (spelling?) who baptized me as an infant.

Kinda silly, but this was the first thing James purchased for our new home in Wichita Falls. 

All given by my mom at some point.  I actually stole the coca-cola crate.  Thanks mom!

A gift from Megan I think 3 years ago!

A gift from Diana Kirklin.  Isn't it beautiful? 

Our housewarming gift from Gloria after we bought our first house on Basswood.

A random letter that Aunt Lisa gave me!  I think this might be from our wedding.

A wedding gift from Megan.

A special gift from Brooke.  This has hung everywhere...from a babies nursery to the bathroom and now in our master bedroom. 

A gift from my big sister Ashley.  I remember when she gave this to me...she was embarrassed that it was all she could give for my birthday.  Little did she know that it would turn out to be the most precious thing she has ever given me.  It sits on my bathroom counter & holds rings, necklaced, etc overnight.  It makes me think about her every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to sleep. 

More gifts from Megan (also in my bathroom).  The candle is my graduation gift from Baylor and the bowl is from her trip to Greece a few years back. 

Connor's first gift from Megan!

Jacob's first gift from Megan! 

These pictures were from my mom.  I remember when Connor was just a few days old, we sat out on the back porch soaking up sunlight while she finished.  I will always cherish those precious moments with my mom...when she was teaching me how to be a mom myself.

This is really the candle holders.  These were from my Gammy.  She didn't like them in her beach condo and gave them to me. 

This was a Christmas gift from my friend Amanda.  I have another one from her that is on the shelf right next to it :)

Butterflies that my sister caught and mounted.  She knows how much I love them!!

Most of these were given to me by my Aunt Darcy for each stage in James and my marriage.  The plate at the right was a gift from one of my hosts when I visited Kenya in 2005.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of just a few of my favorite things.  I hope to continue to collect things over the years that remind me of my amazing friends and family!

Giving Thanks

For what seems like weeks, Connor has been begging me to put up our Christmas tree.  When I asked him why he wanted to he said "presents."  I nudged him more and asked him what Christmas was all about and he said "It's Jesus' birthday.  He needs a party!" 

Score!  I won there...but...what about Thanksgiving?  Never did I ever think to sit down and explain Thanksgiving to Connor!  In my firm stance to not decorate or even think about Christmas, I totally forgot to celebrate Thanksgiving with him.  But what was my stance really about?  Is it about tradition?  I mean...is it because I'm truly thankful or because it's always been this way?  

So, what about Thanksgiving?  I've seen plenty of posts on facebook talking about thankfulness, etc and all I could really think to be thankful for is a wonderful Savior, who came to earth to love me and all my faults.  A wonderful Savior who saw me fit (broken, sinful me) to be James' wife.  A Savior who loved me enough to give me two beautiful, healthy, awesome little boys.  

As I go into this holiday season, I am not going to be blindsided by tradition. This year is a "model" year as I'm going to call it, because it will be the first time we will be celebrating Christmas and Thanksgiving with just our family (not traveling home).  I have also thought a lot about how I want to make Christmas less about traditions with our boys.  I want it to be less about what they are going to get under the tree and more about what we already have.  I want them to be joyful and thankful...always, in everything. 

So, James and I have decided to only give the boys three presents a piece.  Symbolizing the gifts that Jesus received at his birth from the three Wise Men.  Other than that...there are no traditions to uphold.  Because like Connor said it's Jesus' birthday and he needs a party!!

Jacob is ONE!

How is it possible that he could go from this....

To this...in just one year? 

His first year of life was a rocky one, but blessed none the less.  After the most incredible birth, he started showing signs of colic around 6 weeks.  From there it continued until he was finally diagnosed with silent reflux around 8 months.  Then entered Prevacid & saved us all!

After getting the Prevacid, he blossomed.  He started schooching, babbling & SLEEPING!   He currently will say sounds of things (like...vroom vroom for car, mow mow for cat, nahhh for horse).  He even started crawling & is getting very brave with walking while holding onto things.  He hasn't let go or stood on his own yet, but he'll get there.  He only has 2 teeth, but the boy loves to eat!  He's adventurous & I finally have someone else in the house that likes sweet potatoes.  He's been feeding himself for about 4 months now, so dinner time is always very messy :) He's lived in three different houses and states in his first year.  Military brat at it's finest!

This year just flew by to me...but stood still at some moments.  There were countless nights I just had to resolve to get no sleep, rock & hug him.  It was those nights I prayed for him, for our family & begged for mercy.  Jacob taught me that I'm a lot tougher than I thought.  He's taught me that my wants & needs aren't always met, but that it's the kid's that the most important. 

I will never forget the incredible joy when the Dr said "It's a BOY!"  I couldn't imagine my life without this precious little boy and I am so incredibly thankful and honored that God chose me to be his mom.  Happy Birthday little Jacob!!

Which Direction to Take?

I've been pondering LOTS of ideas recently and I have NO CLUE which direction to take.  I told James the other night that I have so many DIFFERENT interests and have no idea how to put them all together. 

1)  My first interest is obvious:  I am passionate about fitness & healthy living.  I'm always on a journey to "fit" and love bringing people along on that ride.  Zumba has opened doors and my mind to group exercise and now I want to teach other formats.  (Body Pump, Spin & PiYo are next on the list). 

2) My second interest is natural childbirth.  After my epidural experience with Connor and amazing natural birth with Jacob, my mind has been forever changed.  I want to tell the world how to do it, that they can do it & advocate for it.  But, I don't know where to even start.  I think my mind is ahead of my feet on that one.  Does that make sense?  It deeply saddens me that doctors have made something natural, beautiful & God given into an emotionless pruduction.  Like Dr. Jones told me after Jacob's birth "I'm trained to keep you out of pain, so I don't understand women who want to be in pain."  Well, my friends, there is a difference between pain and suffering.  There is always going to be pain associated with any kind of physical exertion, but what doctors don't know, is that a woman can keep from suffering given the right techniques.  Having Jacob naturally is probably the most beautiful thing I will ever do. 

The question is:  how do I combine these two things?  If I keep them seperate, I fear I will never fully pursue childbirth education certification.  Fitness is always at the forefront of my mind  and will always beat out childbirth education.  I'm not sure why, maybe it' because I know it, therefore, it's easier to come up with a plan and do it. 

So, friends, please help me pray over this as I explore how to do both (or if I should do both). 

Painting With a Twist

I decided to do an art project with Connor today.  He's been eyeballing my paintings that I've brought back with me from Painting With a Twist & begging to go with me.  So, we set out to do some artwork for his bedroom.  I had a simple idea to do basic colors with handprints.  How hard could that be?  

Our supplies.  It took a while to decide which kind of paint to use, but I ended up with acrylics.  They are easy to wash off so that sold me right there!

For the life of me I could not find the painters smock that Brooke gave us for his 1st birthday.  I knew exactly where it was in the Basswood house...but that's two houses ago.  So, we improvised.  I just cut holes out of an old pillow case.  I'm sure that is not original, but I felt pretty brilliant!

The control freak in me had to let go.  After the first canvas was covered, I decided to let Connor have at it.  What could he mess up, right?  Well...nothing!  He did great!  Way better than I could've.  He kept repeating something I said, which was funny.  He said "We need to make it darker.  Cover the white!"  The things he picks up on :) 

He even got the edges!

Our covered canvases, ready for handprints. 

Handprints are easy, right?  HA!  Connor decided he would do more than one!  He loved it, so I let him have at it.  And of course, we had to do at least two Baylor Green & Gold prints :)  Sic 'em!

We did let Jacob in on the action as well, but there are no pics of that because I was too busy trying to keep him from eating the paint :)  So, here's the finished product...top row are Connor's and the bottom is Jacob's. 

 

I think I am going to keep them like this.  I might try to find some ribbon to hang them, but I will wait until we move.  I don't want to keep planning decorations in a house we're not going to live in much longer!

And here's evidence that Jacob helped.  Notice paint on hands, feet, legs, belly, face....:)

Making the Old New!

When James & I first got married, we decorated our house the best way we knew how. Target style! James actually started with the Mission set from Target when he moved out on his own, so I just slowly added to it when we bought our first house. Needless to say, the cheap veneer was slowly peeling off & was looking pretty used up 6 years later. Pre-move I gladly gave away the coffee table to the local Mission. Hmm...never thought about that before, but it's kinda ironic.

On my mission to re-decorate my house for as cheap as possible, I wanted to find a way to keep these end tables, but re-do them & make them a fun, funky addition to the living room. I also wanted to match my favorite Pier 1 pillows & picked a muted green. So, armed with my BFF by my side & 4 cans of spray paint, we were off to re-style my living room!

Pre-paint

Me & Megan spraying away!

Pre sanded edges. 

The pillow below is what I was trying to match.  I think it came pretty close, don't you think?

I'm obsessed with distressed edges.  LOVE it!

Beautiful Things by Gungor

God makes beautiful things out of dust if we let Him.  How beautiful is that?  Messed up, broken, sinful, selfish, unloyal us.  He can do ANYTHING!  We sang this song in church last week and it's been on my mind since.  I've been singing the lyrics over, and over, and over, and over...as if to fully engrain the message in my mind.  Take a listen:

Zumba makes me HAPPY!

This is a video from our Zumbathon we did a few weeks ago to raise money for the military families that lost their homes in the Minot flooding.  Even though it has caused a slight hold in our move, I am so thankful that I wasn't already there.  Many families are still living on base, in a shelter or having to declare bankrupcy beause the insurance companies are not covering flood damage. 

We raised over $1,000 that was sent to the Airman and Family Readiness Center.  Zumba ROCKS!!

Is Jesus Enough?

"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this city or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."  As it is, you boast and brag.  All such boasting is evil.  Anyone then who knows the good he ougth to do and doesn't do it, sins."  James 4:13-17

I've been mulling over this post for a while, but wasn't sure how to link it all together.  My best friend Megan just returned from a mission trip to Liberia and reading through her posts has made me think long and hard about my trip to Kenya in 2005.  I remember returning to our culture totally shocked.  Not prepared for cell phones, computers, or running water (or heck, even toilet seats).  However, I immediately jumped into a summer internship in Washington DC so I didn't really have time to soak it all in.   

My question to myself recently has been:  is Jesus enough?  Or do I feel like he owes me things.   Is my love conditional?  Do I trust Him FULLY, whole heartedly with my life?  Is His Word enough to sustain me?  It should be, but I think when we look at our lives, we will find that sometimes, it shows He isn't.  I want to change that. 

Is Jesus enough?

Or is He only enough when I can drive to my fancy church, on my fancy road, in my fancy car, drinking my fancy coffee?  Or would it be enough to walk miles and miles to worship each week?  Would I do it?  Not to mention facing persecution from tribal leaders for doing so. 

Is Jesus enough only when I can see his beauty in the majestic views in the Masai Mara?  Or do I look for Him here in Bossier City?  Do you see Him where you are? 

Is Jesus enough or do I HAVE to have the 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with a den AND a living room?  Or is enough to share my small 900 sq ft "apartment" with my family of 10?  Am I thankful for the roof over my head or do I need more?

Is Jesus enough or do I have to have the most fashionable clothes?  Do they HAVE to match?  Do they HAVE to be the latest season?  Or is enough to have clothes on my back? 

Or is He only enough when I don't have to walk a mile to the local water hole to wash my clothes with a handmade bar of soap? 

Is Jesus enough when drought and famine are my reality and I can see, taste and even smell the storm that just won't reach my crops?  Do I praise him in the midst of it?  Or do I grumble and distrust that He will provide? 

Is Jesus enough or do I have to have running water to praise Him?  Or is He only enough when my water comes out clean and at the right temperature from my faucet?  Is He enough even though I may have to walk miles and miles with buckets on my head to retrieve enough water to last my family a day? 

Is Jesus enough or do I have to stand on the equator to realize it?  Do we really have to go on mission trips to spread the gospel or is it enough to do it at home?  Am I reaching my world now or am I waiting on another mission trip to do it? 

 Is Jesus enough or do I not share my wealth with others the way that Kenyans did with me? Do I trust Him enough to give the top fruits of my earnings or do I give what's left or the bottom? Do I give my guests the best of me or do I give them the least?

The point is this:  do we trust God with all of our decisions, big or small?  Do we still thank him for our daily bread or do we just expect it to show up on our table?  Do we praise God for a roof over our head or do we grumble when our home isn't the right size, updated enough, or the right paint color?  Or do we expect that we will be given things or think that we, ourselves, did them?  Do we praise God for the money in our bank account, or do we grumble that we don't have enough in our retirement accounts?  Do we live for today or tomorrow? 

At the end of the day, God is God and He alone can give or take away.  "For you are but a mist that appears for a little while, then vanishes." 

The Fruits of the Spirit

" But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galations 5:22-23

On Sunday, we talked about the fruits of the spirit.  The pastor did a great job comparing the fruits versus the empty substitutes from the devil.  Here's what it looked like:

God	Satan
Love	Lust
Joy	Revelry
Peace	Control
Patience	Resignation
Kindness	Tolerance
Goodness	Perfection
Faithfulness	Self-reliance
Gentleness	Aggression
Self Control	Rebellion

The devil's schemes are always conditional.  An example would be the substitute for joy that is revelry.  "I have to go party on Friday night to be happy.  If I'm not partying, I'm not happy."  A true, unabounding joy is the feeling you get when you don't need anything at all.  For the past few months, everytime I think about my friends, family and just my life in general, I start to tear up, my chest starts pounding in my chest and I think that's the true feeling of Joy.  Another key comparision was the difference between kindness and tolerance.  What tolerance really means is that "I don't truly care for you."  When really, we care so deeply, that we don't know what to do or say.  The fruit of kindness must be used when dealing with issues of "tolerance." 

To fully receive these fruits, we must align ourselves with Christ and take ourselves away from worldly living.  I hear all too often that it is just so hard to live a Christian life in this world.  I kinda agree, but kinda don't.  Here's why:  You can choose what you are involved with and what you aren't.  Get rid of the cable and trash magazines. Get rid of the images of unachievable perfection that fills fashion magazies and advertisements.  Watch what you listen to on the radio.  Fill your ears with praise to Jesus, not with most of the slanderous music that is on popular radio stations.  Choose your friends wisely and read the Bible daily to fully get your mind centered around Him. 

Sometimes, it's the hard thing to do, but you will reap so many rewards for doing it.  Sometimes you won't be the most popular person in your circle.  Sometimes it will take months to make good friends.  Sometimes people will mis-interpret your motives.  But the reward for doing it is so much more than resignation.  It is a true, unabounding JOY! 

"But my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."  2 Corinthians 12:9

8 Months!

Jacob is officially 8 months old!  All of a sudden, he's doing EVERYTHING.  I think he just wanted to save it all up for one special moment or something.  He's bear crawling all over the place (ok, it's so funny...he pulls with his arms and pushes with his left leg), feeding himself finger foods, holding his sippy all on his own, weaning himself (sad day), and laughing & smiling LOTS! 

He's had a few good sleep weeks (although he's finally starting to cut teeth, so we're back to square one) all thanks to a book called "The No Cry Sleep Solution."  If you ever have a baby that does not respond well to crying-it-out, this is the book for you.  When I was up at 5:30 this morning with Jacob, I had a moment where I was not sure I was ready for him to sleep at night.  As weird and crazy as it seems, I do enjoy rocking my sweet boy in the night.  It's the only time it's just me and him and he's still!

Jacob was finally diagnosed with reflux this past week.  He was put on Prevacid which has worked wonders & also given a mild laxative for his constipation. 

Here are a few pictures!

Jacob likes to be in his brother's business.  Wherever Connor is, Jacob is.  He adores him (much to his brother's detest).

This is his "I'm going to get you" face.  When he has his mind made up to get something, he's going to get it.  No matter what.

Happy crawler!

Sitting and playing with rings & blocks.

Watching brother take a bath!