The Daddy Post That Never Happened

Much like many other areas of my life, I have great intentions of sharing parts of our lives.creations.photos.crafts.recipes.lessonslearned on this here little blog.  But atlas, sometimes I'm a little late. So here is the Daddy's Day wrap up that never happened.

I have to say, it's one of my favorite things to go all out letting those who I love know just how much they mean to me.  Sadly, I don't have the time or resources to really show Scott how thankful we are for him and all he does for this family.  But I did do a few pinterest projects, made him a yummy breakfast and we took him shopping for some needed new clothes the day before.

 I let him sleep in and made him stay upstairs as I finished last minute touches (aka...waited last minute to even start one of the projects).  This was his happy face seeing his children in their "special" shirts. 

Here is the youngest in her "I love my Daddy"  shirt.

I found the freezer paper shirts on pinterest and had a friend do it last year.  

I decided for me however that it was just too much work : )

So I just bought the iron on printable paper. It was soooo EASY PEASY!  Scott was so proud to have his brood in shirts displaying their love for him at church.

 Here is his card (not the best picture) which was also an idea from pinterest. 

I thought it was super cute and reminded me of Scott.

I just made it out of stuff I already had (including aluminum foil that makes part of his headphones. 

This was breakfast all ready for him when he came downstairs.

 

The man also has a pretty big sweet tooth so we had to get him some treats.

We put cute little messages on them.  I think it said..."It's not a whopper that we love you to pieces or that you are a sweetheart of a Daddy."

Last but not least, I took the kids pictures the week before to frame for him.  The frame says...

Thank you, Daddy for 

Here are his three little blessings.

We are so grateful to have such an amazing man who works so hard, plays like a kid, teaches us many things, says he is sorry when he's wrong, kisses/hugs us and makes us laugh a whole lot!

Careful...they are watching!

My title of this post sounds like it could be a scary movie or something.  It's not.

I'm sitting here with on the couch editing and uploading pictures for a dear family.  Their is a sleeping babe lying next to me.  I hear sweet little voices from the back of the house playing together.  I'm amused and slightly alarmed from what I'm hearing.

My 3 year old daughter says, "Honey, grab me a paper towel. I need one.  Hurry.  The baby has spit up  and it's everywhere."

My 5 year old son says, "I don't see any.  Do we need to go to the store."

And it goes on and on.  This happens often.  One day in the car I was on the phone with Scott before we left for vacation talking about the budget.  After I was off, I tuned into what the kids were talking about in the back.  I heard them going back and forth about take 276 to the bank and we can use our date money for this and I got cash for that.  It's pretty cute.

But it's also dangerous.  I'm more and more convinced that it's how we live our lives that our kids truly pick up on...not how we tell them to live their lives. I always knew that parenting was an important job and incredibly difficult.  But it's soo much more than I imagined.  We are accountable to God for these little lives and they are greatly influenced by our every breath.

Makes me think twice before speaking.  A little more careful to make sure they are out of earshot for conversations they don't need to hear.  Watch closer to my personal habits and make sure they exemplify our creator.

I know I will make mistakes.  I know Scott will.  But my heart is that at the end of the day when I'm listening to them play...they won't be mocking me or Scott.  But our Lord.  His voice. His actions. His character.

Lessons learned from watching children are always easy....Careful, for they are watching you and their little lives will be shaped by the things they see you do.

Ok...babe is up and I've got to get back to work!

To Everything There is a Season

I need to be editing pictures.
That seems to be all I'm doing lately.
editing.feeding babies.picking up doll clothes & football guys.laundry.
The list goes on.
I however cannot let my list trump letting my heart overflow into a post tonight.

I saw a good friend tonight, well many to be exact.  We hadn't seen each other in forever and we remarked on how it was a shame it was for this reason...a funeral.

It made me think and I said to her and a few other friends how this is the time in life we should be running into each other at shower's or kids' birthday parties. not funerals.

Isn't the list like this....
in your 20's you see all your friends at weddings
in your 30's you see all your friends at baby showers
in your 40's you see all your friends at reunions
in your 50's you see all your friends at your children's graduations
in your 60's you see all your friends at your children's weddings
in your 70's you see all your friends at your grandchildren's birth
in your 80's you see all your friends at funerals.

Ok, maybe not exactly but sort of, right?
Well, not lately.

In the past month, there have been three lives to celebrate because they've gone onto to Jesus.
They were 33, 4 months and almost 2 months.

This seems wrong on all accounts.  This isn't the season for me to be running into friends at the funeral home and it certainly didn't seem to be the season for these three earthly lives to be over.

But the truth is, though this past month seems heavy with grief...life is short.

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. James 4:14

God's Word is clear that we are but a dot on the timeline of eternity.  I remember learning in college that  there are only 3 eternal things...God, His Word, and His People. I thought of this tonight, when my friend and her husband spoke at their infant son's funeral.  They greatly testified God's grace as they talked about how their son was fulfilling God's purpose in His life...worshipping Jesus.  

I drove home tonight alone in the car anxious to get to my husband and three babes. Tears staining my cheeks, praise on my heart I was rebuked that in the mundane moments of mommyhood, I'd stopped living life for the eternal things. Sure I meditated on God's Word, taught it to my children and prayed often (in short sentence form between busy moments from my demanding crew), but had I been living for the eternal things? 

 Sometimes I tend to get wrapped up in other's burdens. Get lost in the grief, overwhelmed by the largeness of the trial and forget to do what God calls us to do...actively help carry their burden.  I'll do my best to lift them up to the throne of grace and serve them in anyway I can.  So in light of this season of grief...I'm going to try to let these lives be used by God to remind me of a few things I 'd laid aside.

SEEK Christ in EVERY area of your life.

KNOW His Word as it is our only truthful comfort when trials come upon us.

LIVE everyday making it count for God's kingdom.

DON'T forget not everyone has the HOPE we have in Christ... share His goodness with others.

LOVE to the tips of our fingers and pour out ourselves to those around us.

Thank you Houston, Jordan, Ezra and your families for reminding me to everything under heaven there is a season.  Bless The Lord, O My Soul!

I will bring praise...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this song.  It's so fitting right now.  So many people around me are suffering and I can't go through a day without my heart burdened for them.  I try to just pray for them and trust the Lord...but honestly I find myself anxious for their trials.  Not to mention the minor ones I fret over in my own life.  We sang this song today and my favorite is "I am a conquerer and co-heir with Christ so firm on His promise I'll stand."  I know my only hope is because of Christ's work on the cross. I can stand on His promise when all else seems hopeless. I'm praying the same thing for these dear families that are hurting. 


This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

This is my prayer in the fire
In weakness, or trial, or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/b/brooke_fraser/desert_song.html ]
This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on it's way
I am a conquerer and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

All of my life in every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship
X4

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here
X2

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/b/brooke_fraser/#share

{Goodbye and Hello}s

 hello to starting last year's FAMILYphoto album.

i picked this for the cover.

i'm crazy sick over how much of a baby my girl looks in this picture.

i guess becoming a BIG sister has made her grow up quick this past year.

 hello sunshine.

could she be any cuter.

this picture is sadly a little misleading for my baby's disposition lately.

she is teething and pretty unhappy.

her onsie should say hello throbbing gums that make me scream and then make my mommy scream.

too long for a onsie, you say?

goodbye best friend.

ok...not really goodbye.

this is my bestie.  we photo together. talk lots. commiserate together over disobedience and poop.

she's the real deal and has been for over 7 years.

but over that 7 years we've lived apart before.

i know distance is no match for our friendship, but i'm still sad she's not a 10 min. drive away.

 

goodbye awesome {easy for mommies to talk} playdates

these are my bestie's and my brood.

they are my kids best friends (besides their cousins) and we loved getting together to play.

the six of them play so well together.

we used to let them run rampant in Jess's playroom as we sat on the couch chatting away.

brilliance.

but atlas, our play dates will now involve a 2 hr. drive.

but they'll still be brilliant. 

 hello family from out of town.

this is my cousins baby holding my baby.

she's growing up to be a gorgeous gorgeous girl.

i cannot get over how BIG she is. 

 goodbye family from out of town.

this is my moma, cousin- Jessica, me and my sis.

we soo much enjoyed our time with them last week.

i just hate to see them go.

a BIG HELLO and PRAISE would be for God's answer to our prayers.

Scott got a teaching job!!!

He loved his high school position last year, but it was two counties away (1 hr. drive).

He's been searching from the first job posting in May with no avail.

Everyone has been praying.

Low and behold he lands a middle school position in my hometown one county away (30 min.).

Hooray! 

It's awesome to be cheering for the Cougars again and I know my honey will rock 7th grade!