Pictures-Beautiful Weather....

The monkies and I have been waiting fooooooooorever for nice weather to play outside!

My little fearless chick......thinks she can do anything!

Gabe made a new friend....ended up his mommy is a teacher with Daddy!!

And Ellie made a friend with the little boy's little brother...he was just learning to walk.

And after a morning of squabbles....nothing warms my heart more than looking out my kitchen door to see the two become best friends again and sit down for a nice chat ;)

Thinking on Jesus...

Isaiah 53:5-6
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Just rest in that today.....By His stripes..you are healed!!!

In Love

We are so in love.......with baby monkey........what a little blessing to our family she has been!

Hold Us Together

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIEFLQrwPmw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-he2DohfwWE


It don't have a job
It don't pay all your bills
Won't buy you a home in Beverly Hills
Won't fix your life
In five easy steps
Ain't the law of the land
Or the government
But it's all you need

And love will hold us together
Make us a shelter
To weather the storm
And I’ll be my brother's keeper
So the whole world will know
That we're not alone

It's waiting for you
Knocking at your door
In the moment of truth
When your heart hits the floor
And you're on your knees

This is the first day
Of the rest of your life
This is the first day
Of the rest of your life
‘Cause even in the dark
You can still see the light
It's going to be alright
It's going to be alright

The Monkies

Monkey #1 Makes a new fashion statement the other day by running thru the house naked....with a hat he used to wear when he was 1.....and carrying a purse....seriously?!?!?!?

Monkey #2 Makes a fashion statement of her own with a dress and jeans. We won't say which parental monkey helped her that day ;)

And little baby monkey shows how big she is getting to be......

Amazing Love

http://www.kellehampton.com/2010/01/nella-cordelia-birth-story.html

Go check out this amazing love story....I just cried and cried.

Wow...

HOPE

Hope... is not crossing your fingers or a wringing your hands. It's not sweating things out or waiting to see if everything is going to turn out alright. It's not a 50/50 proposition. It's definitely not a wish. Hope is future, but it's certain. It's "waiting and aching" (Al Andrews).

Assurance. "We rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:2)

Transformation. "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope." (Romans 5:3-4)

Pictures-Birthday Buddies

My dear cousin/friend Hope....

We both had boys first, then we had girls....Kiera and Ellie

Then we had the same due date with our 3rd babies.....and went 1.5 wk early and had our babies on the same day!!!!!!! Little Mitchell was a champ at getting his picture taken...

Aubrie, however.......

was not so thrilled!!!

He is such a cute little peanut!!!!

Our little birthday buddies ;)

Pictures-PC Jazz Show-2010

We had a great time this past weekend at our school's Jazz Show put on by the music dept.

And this is Carson.....one of my most favorite students ever.....

Because he has officially been adopted as our "oldest monkey son" ;)

My parents...in their adorable purple matchiness

The full course meal was amazing.....the music was great......

The entertainment was NEVER ending ;) we laughed so hard all night....

And yes....I even got a few dances with my hubby ;) a rare occasion ;)

We are so proud of our music dept!!!

2 more of my most favorite kids.....i've adopted them too ;) Meghan and Adam....

The babysitters......and the crying baby ;) She was ready to go home to her bed ;)

What a fun night....

Sermon Snippets

Pastor talked about Ephesians 2.....and I love these verses because it's exactly what we need to hear and just let it soak into our heart and soul: Its nothing of what we do that makes us holy and gains us a ticket to Heaven! (nothing about clothes, hair, material traditions, etc) it's ALL ABOUT THE MERCY AND GRACE OF GOD....BEING ADOPTED INTO HIS FAMILY BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE FOR US. That's how we get to Heaven!!!

We are saved because of His grace! We are not saved because of works!!!
It is a gift from our Father.


Pastor then painted this awesome picture (since there were 2 new babies in our church today...Lil Miss Aubrie being one of them;)
It's like how we are with newborn babies. We love to lavish them with gifts and adorable clothes, blankets, burp rags, etc when they are born. And the baby doesn't care......the baby doesn't ask for it. we do it because we love this child so much and want to take care of it and just love on it. And that's how it is with God...our Father. He lavishes us again and again, even when we don't ask for it. It's a gift that He gives. We don't have to try harder by our works.

I think sometimes as Christians we think we just have to try hard to "be good enough" for Jesus. (which obviously as humans we will mess up) but we are already good enough as we are. That's why Jesus died on the Cross! When He died, it was finished. We are good enough because His blood covers us! Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus!!!


Ephesians 2
" But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Don't Leave Me the Same

Lord Jesus, I give you my life.
I invite You to have Your way in me.
Take me and break me. Shake me and make me.
Fill me and spill me. Change me and rearrange me.
But whatever You do, Lord…don’t leave me the same.
Spirit of wisdom and revelation, I welcome Your work.
Open my eyes so I can see…my ears so I can hear…
I choose truth over comfort, challenge over complacency.
Lord, make me forever Yours.
And most of all, make me like You.
Amen

Prayer

THE FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER...

STAYS TOGETHER

Pictures-Family

We enjoyed a visit from Jason's family for a late Christmas since we didn't make it in December when we all had the flu. Above is Jason's stepdad- Paw-Paw Dale....

Uncle Bob entertaining the girls

Aunt Jo.....the kids love her the most I think.....because she played with them ALL NIGHT LONG (you are such a sweet trooper Aunt Jo, playing hide & seek FOREVER!)

More Christmas presents!!!!

A stroller for her 6 baby dolls!!

We love you guys!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

An Irish Prayer


May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

1 Month

This picture shows exactly what kind of baby monkey you have been, Aubrie Grace......
For the first month of your life you have been a laid back, content baby.
You have already slept many 6-7 hour stretches at night!!!
We are so blessed!!!

Pictures-Spring Concert

To all you students....YOU WERE AMAZING!!!!

I think this was one of Jason's best concerts yet....many standing ovations!!! I'm so proud of you honey! This community is so blessed to have you!

To the Moms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p2yqWFlg60 --check out this powerful song


"The woman is the heart of the home. Let us pray that we women realize the reason for our existence: to love and be loved and through this love become instruments of peace in the world."

~Mother Theresa


Friday night I was blessed to go to the annual Hearts At Home---
Mom's Night Out Conference with my Mom and good friend Sara.

What an awesome night of just being blessed by amazing music
from Christy Nockels, being encouraged by other moms, and just
laughing a ton.

Little thoughts I brought home with me:

1- We, as moms, are world shapers...the time we have with our children....the raising, the disciplining, the loving, the teaching....we are shaping them to go out into the world: They are the generations to come.

2- The Bible talks about our quiver being full (of arrows).....all that we do at home is forming them, sharpening them, readying them to be released out into the big, big world.

3- Remember to place IT ALL.....every little detail... into God's Hands. Because He truly cares about every single one. He loves us with an everlasting LOVE.


So to all you Moms out there: BE BLESSED.....You are an amazing woman that is making this world a more beautiful place every time you love on your child, every time you teach them right from wrong, every time you remind them of Jesus' Love for them....and be encouraged. We don't have to do this job by ourselves.
God is on our side!

Pictures

Mommy's preggo friend Anna.....

and her sister Paige.....who is hoping to pregnant in the near future too!

3 wks.....

The beautiful blanket that was made for Aubrie....

Kisses for the littlest monkey....

And Aubrie shows us how to "put up yer dukes!"

A fun night with Matt and Whitney....

Gabe just couldn't figure out why he couldn't pull both Matt and Ellie!!

Having fun running in circles.....

SO excited to finally play outside....and eating snacks out there too ;)

Mama Monkey's little helpers.....

Gabe having issues pushing Ellie in their old fashioned stroller....she has gained weight since last fall!!!! It was so funny, he kept saying, "Stupid stroller....go go go!"

Always up to something.....

This is what Aubrie thought of the genitian violet topical stuff for her thrush!!!!

2 weeks....

I am never short on help......

She is not a fan of getting her bath!

Having some awake time....

And a serious conversation with Daddy.