Turkey Day

*This should have been posted right after thanksgiving, but we put the computer away to start painting the guest room/office bookshelves.*

We have so much to be thankful for! This year, we made a list of some of the reasons we have to be thankful. We have a great church, amazing family and friends, Chad has a great job, etc. Jack told me he was thankful for "eggs, sausage, and pancakes," which happened to be what he was eating for dinner. He also said that Luke is thankful for Jesus. I just love his precious heart. 

We had a really fun Thanksgiving day. We started the morning with the Tyler Turkey Trot. We loaded the boys in our double jogger and walked the 5k. It was wonderful to be outside as a family

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After our walk and some rest, Chad's parents joined us for dinner. We're not big turkey people, so we opted to grill steak and chicken. I've since renamed Chad  "The Grillmaster." It was delicious! I tried to make my Mom's homemade rolls, but it was a total bust. We were very thankful for Pillsbury! 

It was special to have a blend of my family traditions, Chad's family traditions, and some we have started with our our crew. I look forward to more opportunities to practice being thankful and teaching our sons what that really means. 

Under the Table and Reading

The boys have developed quite the love for reading, and I am thrilled. We have been to the library several times, and we always leave with a huge pile of books. I guess that's what happens when you have a mom who loves children's books as much as her kids do. 

One of our favorite things to do is move the chairs away from the dinning table, pile pillows underneath it, and crawl into our fort with all our books. I was so proud when Jack pointed out the letters "L" and "O" while we were reading one of his favorite books,  Gallop! He wanted to find them on each page, and I don't think he missed one. 

Mr. Luke has become quite the walker, after toying with everyone about it for over 6 weeks. He'll go get a book, usually Baby Bear, Baby Bear, and bring it to us saying,  "bu, bu" for "book, book". It's adorable. 

 

A Knowable God

My ladies' Bible Study has spent the last year and a half studying the Bible book-by-book. We've been in the prophets since we started up again in September, and I have learned so much. I have been so struck by God's pleas for His people to know Him, seek Him, hear Him, and return to Him. Seeing God's heart for relationship with us has been incredible! I've been so hungry to read this week- both in the Word and in other books about God. Yesterday, I  picked up Knowing God  by Packer and read the first Chapter (I'm taking it slow). I was blown away by what God showed me. Unlike the gods of other religions, my God doesn't just desire obedience. Yes, He calls me to obey, but His desires for me are deeper than the obedience you see in other religions. God wants me to know Him!!!! I'm letting that sink in again and again.  He doesn't want robots  who do His bidding. I am so thankful for that! He wants to be known, sought,  and loved by His children. What a beautiful gift! We have a Creator who makes Himself accessible to us! May I press on to know Him today. 

What a Mighty Good Man

Yesterday was Chad's 27th birthday, and I loved getting to celebrate him all day long. The boys and I went and got balloons, which was a super exciting experience for Jack. He talked about them all day. Jack also helped me bake Chad's cakes (Yes, that's plural. We love our cake around here). I really had to let go of my perfectionism and let him be a little boy and make little boy messes. We had a wonderful friend watch the kiddos, and we had a very nice grown up dinner with 10 of our amazing friends. The evenings merriment concluded with singing and enjoying chocolate chip pound cake. I have the most wonderful husband, and it was a treat to give him a special day. 

Celebration

LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished You have done for us.  

Isaiah 26:12

Last August, I joined Weight Watchers to lose the weight I'd gained while being pregnant with both boys. Not only has God used the last 14 months to change my body, but he has refined my heart and my mind as well. I am thrilled to say that I have met my goal! To Him be the glory!!!!

Before (August 2008)       

After (October 2009)

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

I can't believe it's been nearly 6 months since I've posted anything. So much has happened!!! Here's  a recap of the last few months. I'll try my best to keep my words few.

May:

Camp started

We bought our first house (Hurray!!!!)

June:

Luke turned 1

We moved into our new nest

the boys spent 2 weeks with my wonderful parents 

Chad and I took a vacation

July:

Jack turned 2

Grandad came and remodeled our kitchen

August:

All three sisters/aunts came to visit

I had the flu (oink, oink)

September:

Bible study started for the year

Jack promoted to real Sunday school and started potty training

October:

Annual Lubbock trip complete with  Tech football game 

Chad and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary

It's funny how quickly I forget what goes on in our daily lives. It's so good to look back and remember the ways God daily sustains our family. His handwriting has been all  over the past 6 months- we've had prayers answered, doors opened and closed, seen healing, cried, laughed, welcomed new babies, and found ourselves in over our heads. Through it all, our God is faithful! 

I'm going to try to be more diligent in posting. Not because I expect people to read this. I think that was my problem before. I didn't feel like I had much to say. Now, I see that this is another way for me to mark God's workings in our lives. These posts can serve as Ebenezer stones to help me remember the great things the Lord has done in us, for us, and through us. 

Prayer

Last Tuesday morning, God did something amazing in our family. The boys and I were minutes away from leaving for Bible study when the power randomly went out. Most moms can understand that you need breaks in your days, and Bible study has become my life line and a much needed pillar in our week. I was going to be devastated to miss it, especially because it was the last one of the spring. Jack was very confused that his movie had suddenly turned off, so he turned and started asking me about his movie. Left to myself, I know I would have just been bummed and waited anxiously for the power to come on, but thankfully, God didn't leave me to myself. I knew he wanted me to pray. So I knelt down next to Jack and we prayed for God to turn the power on again. I had barely finished saying Amen when the lights and tv came back on!!! We were so excited. I am so thankful that my God cares about the little details of our lives. After thank Him, we loaded into the car and headed to church. Little did I know that another reminder of my selfishness was about to unfold. Jack has started asking for me to hold him quite a bit by saying "Up here, Mommy." He knows I can't hold him in the car, and I told him no several times. It didn't take long for me to start getting annoyed. I was trying to have some "me" time in the car, and he was interfering. After a while, I realized that he was saying something totally different. Instead for "Up here, Mommy, " he was saying "A prayer, Mommy!" He had seen God answer a prayer in such a clear way that his little heart wanted to approach God's throne with confidence over and over again. He told everyone about God turning our power back one, and he has continued to ask me to pray for things, sometimes over and over. When I find myself getting annoyed at having to pray for the ambulance we saw for the 4th or 5th  time, God reminds me that it is a joy and a privilege to pray, especially with my 21-month-old. We have prayed for helicopters, fire trucks, ambulances, and God will bring things to my mind that I have never thought of before. We prayed for a friend with cancer and saw that prayer answered! My number one desire for my sons is that they love God deeply and follow him with all their hearts. I have been reminded this week that my desire for them is not a one time event that will occur when they are older. It is a journey that starts now, praying for fire trucks and the electricity.