My Thanksgiving Blessings...

Counting my blessings as I think of all I am thankful for this Thanksgiving:

My amazing family and incredible kids.

My studly hubbie who still makes my heart skip a beat.

Friends that love me through good and bad.

A Savior that knows EVERYTHING and still thinks I'm His princess.

A home that has given us shelter, love and safety.

"Jobs" that have allowed us to tell people about Christ.

Batman costumes, homemade brownies and hot chocolate.

Time to sit back and reflect on all that I have been given.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

What are you thankful for??

November 23, 2001

Though I can hardly believe it; 8 years ago today at approximately 6am, I watched all the Black Friday shoppers scurry in and out of the stores via the local news station while my world was forever changed by the arrival of my sweet freckle faced Ayden.

And so; on this special day, I'd like to tell you the top 8 reasons why I love this little boy so much:

1)His absolute passion for serving God
2)His gorgeous brown eyes
3)His love for telling stories
4)His incredible memory
5)His compassionate spirit
6)His sensitive heart
7)His love of athletics
8)His cuddly nature

Ayden, you are my precious little monkey and you make every day brighter with your love and your smile.

I am blessed to be your Mommy and I thank God that you're a part of my life.

Love,
Mommy

... na na na na BATMAN!!

Came across some pictures while cleaning and couldn't resist!

Donn - Approximately Age 4

Brekyn - Age 4

ABC's...

Today as I was sitting at my computer I heard my sweet little princess singing the ABC's.

I looked over at her and noticed that she was lying on the ground with her blankie over her face.

I then heard the following song:

"A, B, C, D, Night-night....A, B, C, Night Night."

Gee, do you think she was trying to tell me something?

If only I'd taken all those silly parenting courses....maybe I'd be able to figure out what she's trying to tell me!

Exciting Life...

Not a whole lot to report on as of right now.

Life is pretty busy this week as we have the Loecken Family (the family that travels in their RV serving the poor) staying in town. We have had such a blast getting to know this amazing family. If you want to hear more about them click here. http://www.thearktour.org/The_ARK_Tour/Home.html

Beyond that, we're still trying to make final decisions about Donn's departure date. We are avoiding actually admitting that he's leaving soon (basic denial ya'll) but in reality we have both realized that it's the best option for now. Luckily, we'll have Christmas vacation to be together.

Now I must go tend to my incredibly exciting mountain of laundry and maybe I'll even shoot for the moon by attempting to get a shower in here someplace! Don't be jealous of my exciting life...I know it's very tempting. :)

Decisions...

With all that is going on in our life right now, it seems like we are constantly seeking God's will regarding decisions that have to be made.

Although it's often hard for me to be patient, it's also a really exciting time of waiting before God and allowing Him to truly care for us.

We are now in the midst of another big decision.

Yesterday I was sitting and praying when something hit me.

It was a thought that had actually never entered my mind before - and it really threw me for a loop.

It was the simple thought that maybe it is NOT the best decision for my husband to stay here once his time at the church is finished. Maybe, in fact, it would be wiser for him to go ahead and move to NY to begin pursuing a job there and to begin getting to know the people of the town.

I'll admit...it was hard for me to even bring myself to mentioning this possibility to Donn. The thought of being left behind to sell, pack and manage the house by myself (well, with the help of 3 little kids) is enough to make me sick; but maybe-just maybe-this would be the best long term option for all of us.

We had initially been assuming that we would all stay here until the house sold and Donn would just get a job here in the "meantime". Don't get me wrong; we would love to all go to NY right away; but the cost of carrying the bills there and also the house here are just not feasible for now.

With just Donn going (and not all of us in tow) he could easily stay with his family and live rent-free for a bit.

Nevertheless, with this turn of events, our world has become a little more complicated. We have not made any official decisions yet but the more we talk about it, the more we both realize that it may be for the best. Yikes...it may be best for my husband to move to NY in just a few weeks!! Ahhh!

Who knows how long it would last...we know we would see eachother when we make the trip there for Christmas, but beyond that it would just be dependent upon the house sale here.

I realize that to some people, it may be no big deal to think of separating the family for a bit. However, during our early years as missionaries with the sports ministry, Donn often spent almost a month at a time away and we have since said that we would never want that to happen again. It's a hard life and it's particularly hard for a family that does so much together. We have already cried at the mere thought of it.

And yet; just because it may be painful doesn't mean that it may not be God's will.

And so, again Iwould love your prayers if you feel led. It's just one more chance to surrender on this journey that has already been such a blessing to our family. I am excited to see how God will answer this time! :)

Green Tea...

Monsoon-like rains are pelleting the window and I just arose from a little cat nap with my 4 year old snuggle bug...

Life is good.

I've taken on subbing a bit more these days (at both our church pre-school and another daycare in the area). I'm really enjoying the time there and am actually finding that staying "busy" is helpful since it keeps me from thinking too much about the house sale (or lack thereof).

However, I must admit that this afternoon I am one tired Mommy and I almost welcomed the rain as an excuse to lay down with the kids.

And so now, here I sit with green tea by my side, cozied up in my favorite sweatshirt and sweatpants and thanking God for His goodness...

Despite the fact that life may not always go the way I had planned - I need to remember to pause and thank Him for all the good things in my life...

...for cozy sweatpants, warm tea and sweet little cuddlebugs by my side. Does it really get any better than this??

Welcome To....

Day 3 of my 23 month old NOT taking a nap!!!

Grr!!!!!

'Nuff said.

I'm BAAAAACKKK!!!!

Thanks to an amazing friend who had an extra computer sitting around the house, we are now back in business!! :) Not that I have anything brilliant to say but at least I can say it now! Long live ALWAYS TALKING!! :) Have a great weekend!

Technical Difficulty

Just a quick FYI.

Not that I have throngs of fans or anything, but nevertheless I figured I'd let you know that I won't be blogging very consistently for a while.

Our personal computer crashed (again - 2nd time this year) and obviously, a computer is just not in the cards for right now.

I will do my best to blog as I can get to a public computer, but with 3 kids that is also not an easy feat either.

Please keep checking back though! Don't leave me now!! :)

I feel like one of those stupid computer commercials -
"I'm a PC..."
Of course, if I was a Mac I probably wouldn't keep losing my computer to viruses!! Argghhhh!!