Give Me Jesus-Fernando Ortega

"You can have all this world but give me Jesus". I have so much to be grateful for but the fact that I have Jesus is what changes everything else. This weekend we were away and we were not familiar with radio stations in the area and this song came on the radio and it was a great reminder that when it comes down to it things are things, but Jesus is everything. I am thankful I have Jesus.

Too Funny

A couple nights ago Gabriel and Annalina were encouraging Ross that instead of going to Mommy's and Daddy's room at night when he has scary dreams he needs to pray. What was funny is Annalina was telling her story about how awhile back she became VERY FEARFUL ( and I mean VERY FEARFUL) of spiders at night and she started praying for God to help her and he did. She said "Mommy and Daddy couldn't help me but God did." I thought that was hysterical. We did try to help her but I am actually glad she has learned to find comfort in her Saviour. I have to admit I am glad we failed and she found comfort from above. The truth is we can't fulfill her needs like her Heavenly Father can. He will never leave her nor forsake her.

Blessed and Embarrassed

Well, life has continued on a bumpy course and yesterday it just seemed to cummulate (teething baby, big decisions, lots of work around the house, school to get done, trip to prepare for, husband that needs time to be working on his thesis, last week I had hives, oh, and invaders in our ceiling (probably rats from what we've found out so far) that have been there so long that their feces STINKS in the house!, etc., etc. )

I was worn down and instead of getting on my knees and praying for strength, or waiting on the Lord to renew my strength I started to just shrink under the pressure. The embarrassing part of this is that my kids watched me shrink to being stressed and I hated that! Last night Gabriel came to me and so sweetly said "I did like you said and prayed last night {when he went to bed} and it helped me a lot". I had a feeling he was trying to encourage me to do the same and encouraging me in a humble way. Later on he said to me "Maybe you can pray tonight that Carson will do better tomorrow (he is teething and INCREDIBLY fussy) so you can get some things done." He said this again humbly, kindly, and with encouragement. What a kid.

I woke up this morning and shortly started hearing the kids. They planned on fixing breakfast for Mommy (knowing the hard day I had had before) and worked together to accomplish the goal. Annalina was to watch Carson and she did a fantastic job reading to him and allowing him to draw on paper. The boys were to prepare the breakfast and did a fantastic job. I am so proud of them.

A highlight of yesterday was sitting with Gabriel and weighing the pros and cons of different housing options in Colorado Springs which is where we are moving to in June (if not sooner). We had a great time discussing options and features and we both came up with a resolute opinion and had a great time in the process. We wanted to know what the kids thought of the different options but telling them Mommy and Daddy were the final voice! We've been praying for God to give us wisdom. We recently sold land we had owned but we have never purchased a house. It is exciting and nerve racking at the same time to think of being a home owner.

Being a Mommy with goals vrs. interruptions

I read the following quotes on another blog called thestayathomemissionary.com. I LOVED this quote and how she tied it to making goals for the new year. I make goals but there are little ones running around and life doesn't always go as planned! My children who by nature are interrupters when things need to get done are my primary job and ministry aside from my hubby. She also drew attention to Jesus's ministry on earth and how He had constant interruptions but he dealt with them in love and the gift of attention. Also, I agree that goals are important because they focus us but we need to not lose sight of the people around us.

"My whole life I have been constantly interrupted until I realized that the interruptions were my work." Henri Nouwen

"The truly purposeful have an ironic secret: they manage time less and pay attention more. The most purposeful people I know rarely overmanage time, and when they do it's usually because they're lapsed into drivenness, into a loss of purpose for which they overcompensate with mere busyness. No, the distinguishing mark of the purposeful is not time management. It's that they notice. They're fully awake." Mark Buchanan, The Rest of God

Life and Times of Late

The boys with their Christmas presents, air soft guns. Gabriel was being the instructor and he was very cautious. Babe and I love to see them playing like this.

Ahh, Carson enjoys Saturday morning doughnuts with us. Actually, this was taken awhile back and I am just now posting. He eats much more cleanly now but it was so cute!

These are Carson FAVORITE cars!! Grandma and Grandpa do a great job picking toys!

Creation Science Museum in Kentucky

Annalina with Buddy Davis! When we were at the Creation Science Museum the kids got to meet and take a class from Buddy Davis! We also got to go to a concert he put on. Our WHOLE family is a BIG fan of Buddy Davis and the music and the children's DVD's teaching children how to defend Creationism.

Ross with Buddy Davis!

Annalina at Buddy Davis's class on flying dinosaurs.

Gabriel, Annalina, and Ross all got to take the class.

Buddy Davis

Gabriel working on the class project.

Besides the class it was fun to walk around the museum and see the displays. The kids got to touch a real dinosaur fossil (picture to left). The did a SUPER job on that museum!!! We were extremely impressed! Gabriel just said recently he wants to go back again! Oh, and their bookstore and chalked FULL of amazing books!

Carson really enjoyed Buddy Davis's concert as you can see in these video clips!! TOOO CUTE!!

Blessed

I have had a really tough week and a half here. Pretty much just stupid stuff that I allowed to get to me. So many people I know are going throughly truly tough times. I was allowing myself to stress over much less! Nevertheless, it really was a difficult week. My oral surgery on Monday even went really well but maybe it just took a lot out of me.

Today at church Ross was sitting on my lap, Annalina had her head on my arm, Gabriel was sitting on the other side of me and Babe was next to him. I just had a feeling of happiness that I was surrounded by my family [except Carson] and worshipping God.

It was peaceful, joyful, and blissful to be worshipping with the ones I love.

Then tonight we were sitting at dinner and talking about truth. It came up because of the response of some kids at church today. Ross was so frustrated at their thought process that he raised his voice trying to get their attention to correct them. When he found out their thinking was due to how their parents have taught them he said "Their parents are CRAZY!" He did not say this in a silly way but passionately. I told the kids it wasn't for us to judge the parents but it can show us the importance of teaching and warn us about what we let into our household that can start to cover up God's importance. We talked about truth and how important it is to tell the truth. I again got this wonderful feeling tonight. I was sitting around a table with my 3 oldest kids and husband talking about truth and rightness and my kids were passionate about the discussion! What a blessing. I was also thankful that as we talked and explained to the kids our thoughts etc. that they were totally on board. Sometimes you hear of kids growing up being upset about how their parents raised them with "rules" etc. I was thrilled to hear my kids emphatically agreeing with us. Not that if they didn't we'd change things but it was thrilling that my kids are understanding the importance of truth over emotional feelings that having nothing to do with truth.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the family you have blessed me with. Thank you for a husband that is a man of principal especially Godly principal. Thank you for children that love you and desire to do right. Please help their love for you to grow each and every year. Please forgive me of my bad attitude during this week and my moping about. You have blessed me with so much. Thank you for showing me today what you have given me and making me aware of it and feeling blessed because of it. I know you are good all the time. Thank you for reminding ungrateful me how good you are.

Lincoln's Beginnings

On our way up to the Creation Science Museum in Kentucky we stopped in to see Lincoln's birthplace. It was good for the kids to see how they lived back then. VERY SMALL HOMES! It was also neat to see Lincoln's Bible!

Real-Life Superhero Walks Streets, Fighting Crime - News Story - KIRO Seattle

Real-Life Superhero Walks Streets, Fighting Crime - News Story - KIRO Seattle

My family just loved this story. The kids got a BIG kick out of it. What a good guy this man is and to think he has been stabbed and had guns pulled on him and he continues to fight crime in a way about any 7 year old boy would dream of . . . as a SUPER HERO!

Christmas Day

Christmas Day at my parent's house was so great. Since our family tradition is to open presents Christmas Eve it was so nice to have a relaxing Christmas Day. We got snow on Christmas! My dad and Brian took the kids out to make a snowman during the day and that was a lot of fun. Christmas night Grandpa took the Gabriel and Annalina outside. They took a walk in the cold and either every other neighbors yard or every 2 yards they would make snow angels in the yard like an angel had visited them. A neighbor commented that she noticed the angels in the yards. Grandpa also took them caroling at 2 homes and the kids got a kick out of that! When they were done they came home and played "fox and geese" (a game I used to play as a child! So I was so excited dad was teaching it to them) in the snow. Some neighbor kids were out so they came to play "fox and geese" too! The kids had an absolute bast! What a grandpa!

The superhero costumes came from a book on how to be a superhero. It was a really cute and fun book! Ross really enjoyed it and Carson enjoyed the mask!