Wow I can't believe it's been a year since I've written. We celebrated our 9th anniversary on 10-20-2010. It is good to look back on this past year and the past couple of months and see the work the Lord is doing. He has stirred us to prayer. Sometimes it is hard because it takes time and energy. But knowing that we can not look at ourselves but lift up friends and family, especially ones who don't personally know Jesus. We keep knocking and asking the Father. I will continue to ask the Father until they come to know you Lord, even if it is after we pass, may they be with you forever in eternity.

What has happened this past year:

-L finished Kindergarten, learned to ride her bike all by herself this past summer. Lost some of her teeth, as of today we are at number 5. Now in First grade she is reading, learning to balance chores, with homework, sparks, and ballet. She is very helpful in the kitchen. She is also spending more time with her Grandma which has been really special.

-R has grown so much this past year, she grew out of her afternoon nap, got a big girl bed, and is growing so much in coloring, drawing, and painting. She has a love of God's creation that inlvoves gardening and flowers just like her mom. In August she started her first class called creative movement. She loves to be a helper in the kitchen like L, but especially likes cleaning the dishes.

They both have gone up to the farm at Grandma & Grandpa's house. They have learned so much about farming corn and beans. They have learned what harvest means and all the hard work farmers puts in. We have definitely had more of a specifically set apart time called family nights. We would go on bike rides, play at the playground, play board games etc. The most recent family weekend was when we went camping with our home fellowship, then spent the day canoeing, walking the trails, enjoying all the colorful trees, and participated in an outreach as a family. This was just a taste of what we've done this past year. I guess I need to write more so we can remember the special memories we've been making. Pray I have the time to. :)

October

I feel the chill in the air, the wind blowing thru my hair, and the crunch beneath my shoes. Fall is one of favorite months up there with summer. I love the change in color, the beauty of God's creation following it's direction to change each season year after year after year. And I love to hear the excitement in the girls voices when they see the beautiful colorful leaves on the tree. I could go on and on about the colors of the leaves, I absolutely love it! That is also why my husband and I picked October to be married. We were married on Oct 20th, 2001 and we will be celebrating 8 years of marriage today. A lot of growing has taken place in our lives in 8 years. I remember when I first got married the realization and reality hit me of how selfish I was. The verse "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourself" was one I memorized. The best picture of this (besides what Jesus did for us) is when I think of my Grandpa who is 90 years old and takes care of my Grandma who has Alzheimer's. The care and love he has for her has blown my family away. Instead of traveling the world living the retired life, he has looked out for the interest of my Grandma and her needs. She is not able to be left alone, she does not remember your name or who you are etc. But the only thing she does remember is her husband and that he loves her. I am so glad that God uses marriage to mold us day by day into the beautiful image of Jesus. Thank you God for my husband that I prayed for, and how much he loves You.

little brother turning 30

Wow I can't believe my little brother is 30. He has been on my mind lately so I thought I would write about him. We are 4 years apart in age. He has the best sense of humor and always making us laugh. I miss him alot, he moved to Dayton, OH with his job. He is an IT guy and is very good with computers, very smart. I wish he was here in Indy so we could hang out more. I remember when we were little we would play GI Joe, I was Scarlet and I can't even remember who he would be? Well we would pretend we were jumping out of a plane or something and parachute down. Swinging on the swings and jumping out felt like you where flying. It's funny when I look back I really got into playing with his toys, they were so much better he had transformers, star wars figures, and voltron, pretty fun. It's funny we both love to watch Star Wars together even now. Such sweet memories.

Turning 2

I will continue on the journey of telling you how I got to this point in my life. But for now since a special birthday is approaching us I wanted to wanted to write about a little girl who will be turning 2 on March 1st. This little character makes me smile and laugh every day. The way she walks with big strides with her arms swinging back and forth carrying her blankie, and her face says it all with the look of determination. With her chubby cheeks and long hair that always needs to be combed back away from her big brown eyes. With her beautiful smile that I notice the whole day, until she says "Mine". With her funny little lines that she says that make me chuckle. Like the other day when I yawned she said "Are you tired mommy?". We have had special times alone together since Lily is gone in the mornings for preschool. It reminds me of the special times I had with Lily when she was Rose's age. We have our own time of homeschool learning our numbers (she could count to 10 a couple weeks ago but now she keeps saying 1239), she can already say the alphabet, and she knows the oval shape, heart, and circle, we are working on the other shapes to recognize. I wish I would have started this earlier with her. It is so amazing how much their little brains remember. She loves to wear her tutu over her clothes all day and dance every time she hears music just like her sister. I hear her say "Lily dance....dance Lily or clap Lily clap" when we are in the car jamming to music. I've enjoyed having another little girl that is completely opposite to her sister. I can't believe my baby girl is growing up so fast.

2nd entry

...so I grew up in the church believing in Jesus. I went to youthgroup and and even memorized scripture. It wasn't until college my freshman year that I found out I could get to know Jesus personally. I wanted to find a church to get to know other Christians, I found a church called Abundant Life. I met people there who were in love with Jesus, they had such a passion for Him it showed in everything they did. I wanted what they had. I realized at this point in my walk that Jesus wasn't Lord of my life I hadn't totally given my life to Him and let Him be the center of my life instead of me leading. I learned about having a relationship with Jesus, that I could talk to Him all the time and not just on Sundays and before meals. I was so in awe of this Creator who could create the most amazing details in the most beautiful flower to the most amazing colors in a sunset, I could go on and on about what He has created for us. And to think that He was in love with me. He even carried me thru some discouraging times in college. I was in His hand. He never left me, He was always there with His sweet still small voice. For the first time I learned about the word grace. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2: 8-9

First blog

Well this is my first blog I guess you could say. So I just wanted to share different ideas that I think about alot so I decided to share them with you. I guess I should start off by sharing how I came to this point in my life at age 33. I will start by sharing how I became a lover of Jesus and how He is everything to me. When I was a little girl around 5 or 6 my parents talked to me about Jesus and asked me if I believed in Him and asked me if I wanted to ask Him in my life. Well, I remember the moment as a little girl with childlike faith, I remember the brown velvet couch with white flowers that I sat on, and the light shining behind me. I remember my parents sitting with their knees to the floor sharing with their gentle and loving voice. I know that I said yes, I don't remember everything they shared but I do remember that moment in time. As I grew up in the church learning about the Bible, the next point in my walk was when I went to summer camp. I remember the week was awesome, I loved the singing and meeting new friends. But I will never forget at the last get together, they shared with all the kids the story of why Jesus died for the world. They asked if anyone would like to come forward, and make a decision to follow Jesus. There were many kids that made a decision that night. But I sat in my seat with tears rolling down my cheek, I knew I had already made that decision that I didn't need to go forward but in my heart I was so happy for those kids who came forward it was my first time to shed tears of joy.
Second blog will be coming soon.