Cutest photos ever

A link to some of the cutest most amazing photos ever, taken by none other than my fabulous friend Allyson. She continues to amaze me with her artistry through photos, she is soooo talented!

www.blinkphotoblog.com

Reflection...

So, today i had one of those moments that i just knew i needed to blog about. obviously i don't have those very often, much to the chagrin of some of my friends ;) But, anyways, today i took cole and camryn up to our church's coffee shop much like we do almost every week, and usually it is full with other moms and their little munchkins running around. But today we saw that there was a large crowd of teenagers in the park that is right next to our church, and when we got inside to the coffee shop to sit down and eat our lunch many of the students started coming in to buy drinks and such and i noticed that one of the girls had on an Olathe East Hawks sweatshirt. Well, since that is the high school that i graduated from i got kind of curious and asked her what they were doing in the park. She told me that they were having their senior picnic, and I told her that i went to Olathe East and so she asked me when i graduated and i told her 2000. She then said Oh, wow! as if that was a century ago, and then she started asking me about certain teachers and if i had had them when i went there. After i talked to her, and sat down at my table more and more students came in until pretty much every table around us was filled with them, and i could overhear many of the conversations talking about things like the upcoming prom, and games that they were going to go to later, and lots of laughter between friends. As i sat there i just had these crazy feelings of jealousy mixed with gratitude mixed with sadness mixed with joy. I know, im crazy, but basically i was having a serious moment. In nine years, my life has changed so much. But in so many ways it literally feels like yesterday that i was there. I just kept thinking that their lives are so full of potential right now,and in the next few years they are going to decide the path of the rest of their lives." The worries right now to them feel so huge, like who am i going to go to prom with and what am i going to wear, they are so ready to be done with high school and to be on there own, to leave their parents and have total freedom. But looking back it is so crazy to see how small your world view is in high school and how much can change in just a few years of "total freedom." With that freedom comes having to make your own choices, and as attractive as that sounds to a high school senior, with those choices come consequences both good and bad. I am so unbelievable grateful for the life that i have now, and the perspective that i have gained, but it definitely didn't come without pain and heartache and so many of those feelings are not very far below the surface. I am so blessed to have ended up where i am right now, my life could have looked so different. I also couldn't help but think as i sat there that in another nine years i am going to have a child in high school......CRAZY! I am just getting past that point in the lives of my kids where every day drags on forever, and now i am really starting to feel that whole blink and we are celebrating another birthday thing. Once they get into school the years really seem to blow by, i just can't believe grace is almost done with first grade!

So all that to say it was a day full of reflecting. Inside there are parts of me that still feel like a high school student, and then there are parts that feel like an old woman. ;) I guess this is all just part of the aging process. Mostly i am so glad that i have a God who has walked with me every step of the way, and even when i wasn't looking to Him for direction He was there waiting patiently. And with Him alone can i look into the next nine years and more with a sense of peace and expectancy.

haircuts

So i know, i know i am a horrible blogger. and there is more updates than i could possibly do, so i am just going to start here. i have been thinking about cutting grace's hair for a while, and she has been begging me to do it for a really long time. i have held out because her hair was just so gorgeous and shiny...but really only right after she has washed and dried it. the rest of the time it was getting to be such a pain to take care of. so i finally just decided that it wasn't worth fighting her on it anymore, she really wanted it, it was hair and would grow back soon enough, and so why fight her anymore on it? well, i am sooooo glad that i did it because it is beyond adorable.....but it does make her look so much older, and she is already like a 6 year old going on 16 year old...but she loves it, and it is so much easier! so here are some photos from the big hoorah.

the finished product!

and of course little sister had to get in on the action too!

and brother too!

he looks a little like macauley culkin from home alone to me in this pic!

the ladies man and his main girls after their haircuts

could my children be any cuter??!!

I can't wait...

...for spring so i can wear some of these super cute shoes!!

a sweet prayer

As i have said before i am doing beth moore's esther study and it is awesome. i know people around me get tired of me saying things about the study, but when i am in one of her studies everything seems to relate. This week was no exception. On the first day of the study beth was talking about how sometimes temptation seems to be like a battering ram that incessantly bangs at your door daily. And we as followers of Christ need to stop trying to rely on our moods, and instead rely on a mind set that is on victory over the temptation. I have always had poor will power. I am really trying to figure out why, but for some reason i am just not good at setting my mind to something and sticking to it. It's weird because i am a strong person in other areas, but God has such a work to do with me still in the area of will. In the past it has been with some more self destructive things that i have dealt with, but right now to be honest it is with food, and staying on a healthy eating plan. I know everyone deals with this in some capacity, but i just feel like i have such weak willpower, and i need to surrender my will over to God and allow him to give me a powerful mindset that can overcome temptation. In the study beth ends her day by asking that we as women would pray a prayer of scripture for her and for each other. I thought it was amazing and just what i needed, so here it is.

My beloved sister, may God be allowed to work such steadfastness

of mind in you that "the bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze,

and your strength will equal your days" (Deut. 33:25)

Just some random thoughts...

So I just wanted to post some things that i am really liking right now:

1. The Beth Moore Esther study that i am leading right now-every time I do one of her studies i think that this one is my favorite, and this one is no exception.....amazing! And i love teaching. And I love all the ladies that are in it with me.

2. This song that is playing which i heard on this blog that i regularly follow. She has no idea that i exist because she is totally a blog celeb, but everything she does is sickeningly cute.....but i can't get enough! (Also, i am totally not music savvy, so this song might be totally 2008, and everyone has already heard it, but i had never heard it and i LOVED it!)

3. The small group that Rich and I recently started in, and the fact that we are about to start studying one of my favorite books of the bible, Acts, in this group.

4. Iced Tea-Since i have chosen to give up pop this is pretty much all i drink all day long.

5. Slumdog Millionaire-This movie totally rocks. I love that they dance at the end. I think the girl in it is so gorgeous. And it is just an amazing story.

6. The fact that we are having our basement finished right now, and it will be done by the end of next week!! (pics to come soon)

7. The Bachelor-I am shamelessly addicted (thanks to Jenn for making me watch last season's finale) and i have strong opinions about which girls i like and don't like, so ask me anytime if you are interested.

8. The progress that i am making toward my weight loss goal

Plug for a friend

So i have really begun to realize lately how i have some of the most creative friends ever. I wanted to give a plug for one of my great friends who has been my friend since high school, and i love her dearly. She and her husband moved to Virginia a couple of years ago so her husband could attend Virginia Tech's medical school which was a total bummer on my end, but very good for them. She is a teacher there, but is also an incredible photographer. Here is a link to her website, and if you know anyone who lives in the area of Blacksburg, VA who could use her, let them know!

First Monday of a new year...

So a good friend of mine always said that she likes to start something new on a monday. So as the first Monday of the new year, i thought i would start my resolutions today. They really aren't anything different or out of the ordinary for resolutions. Pretty much they are things that i have been saying i want to do for awhile, and yes, i know that 99.9% of resolutions made in the first of January fail, but i won't let the pessimists stop me. i am going to do it anyway. and i thought i would blog about it so my friends, if i have any that still read my blog, could keep me accountable. So if you are reading this, i urge you to ask me about how this is going in a couple of weeks. My first resolution is, of course, to be more healthy. But don't worry, i know that is ridiculously vague so here is the action steps that go along with it.

1. Say bye-bye to ALL pop (sniff, sniff)

2. Eat a healthy breakfast (this may not sound like much to some of you, but i never eat breakfast, i just don't feel hungry at all early in the morning, and i am rushing around trying to get my kids fed and off to school, so it just doesn't happen.)

3. Do some form of real excercise for 20 min a day (again, not much but when you are doing nothing...)

So that is resolution #1, and resolution #2 is also pretty boring and non-original, but it is totally necessary. It is to wake up one hour earlier. The really good thing about this one is that i am going to be leading a beth moore bible study on esther starting this friday, and i soooo excited about it, and am a beth moore junkie, so i plan on preparing and doing my study in the mornings, while i eat my healthy breakfast ;)

So again, i welcome people's feedback and definitely need people to hold me accountable. And i would love to hear your resoutions if you are willing!