Thanksgiving Extravaganza

Since I couldn't travel this year for the Thanksgiving Holiday, Bradey's family came to us! If you have ever been to our house, you know it isn't very big and not a lot of space to sleep 7 adults and 5 children. I was a little nervous about how it would turn out and how my patience would be tested. I have to say it went extremely well and everyone had a great time!

Sheila, Bradey's mom, came on Monday to help me shop for groceries and start cooking early. We were very successful and pretty organized which cut a lot of the stress. We did a little at a time so when the rest of the family arrived we wouldn't have everything to do. Everyone else arrived on Wednesday afternoon and there was no longer a quiet inch in the house.

We cooked all day Wednesday and left the turkey, ham, and some casseroles to cook on Thursday morning. As we were cooking the cornbread for the dressing on Wednesday night, our oven decided to have a mind of it's own and started broiling instead of baking. Outcome - burnt cornbread. From that point on, the oven kept flashing "F10" code. We had no idea what that meant and really thought nothing of it!! So, we turned it off and later tried setting the timer to cook the turkey for a certain amount of time overnight only to find out the oven was no longer working properly. Let me remind you this is almost midnight before Thanksgiving with all the important things left to cook!! Not to panic right?!? We decided to go to bed and set our alarm for 5am to try again. Maybe the oven just needed to rest after cooking all day long.

Bradey got up at 5am and tried once again. Nope!!! Nothing!!! Not happening!! I immediately texted a few friends to ask if we could use their ovens. We took the turkey and ham over to a friends house and cooked it in her oven. Thank goodness we have friends! Not only that but friends that would allow us to use their oven all day at the last minute. Later that morning Randy, Bradey's dad, and Bradey decided to bang on it a little and then proceeded to unplug it. Apparently, it was the circuit breaker which reset when they unplugged it. IT STARTED WORKING NORMAL AGAIN!!!

Eventually, we all sat down and had our Thanksgiving meal together, TURKEY AND ALL!!!

Other than that, we had a great time cooking together, playing games together, listening to the kids laugh and play, and spending time together in a little space! I am very thankful for my family and I consider myself very blessed!!

Here a few pics from the week:

Thankful it was pretty weather. The girls played ball, drew with sidewalk chalk, and went on walks.

Lots of laughter!

All 5 girls sleeping in Adi's room together!

Before Papa left, he gave all the girls a prize, a snow globe.

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed every minute with your families! I was definitely reminded of many things I should be thankful for, not only at Thanksgiving, but everyday!

He's Not SCARY...

"He's not scary, he's just GREEN!"

That's what Adi tells us when we put in The Grinch Stole Christmas movie. For some reason she ask every time we put in a new movie, "Is this scary?" I'm not sure what she has seen that scared her, but she is very cautious now! I guess that is a good thing! It's so funny to listen to what comes out of her little two year old mouth.

We were playing ball the other day and she told me, "Mom, we have to be very careful not to hit Chloe or she will cry and not ever come to see me." She is so anxious to meet, hold, and play with her little sister.

I could make a list of all the silly, funny things she says but I won't. That's all for today!

We Don't Have to Live in Fear

I have to admit that recently I have been living in such fear regarding my precious Adi and Chloe. I have found myself worrying about something bad happening to them and it has caused fear to consume my mind. Kidnapping, drowning, car accident, injuries, diseases, sickness, or death have played in my mind as occupying their future. I know that is so heavy and I hate having those thoughts. I so badly want to have peace and know and believe that I don't have to live in fear.

While reading the first chapter of The Power of a Praying Parent, she touches on this fear that we have as parents.

"We don't have to pace the floor anxiously, biting our nails, gnawing our knuckles,

dreading the terrible twos or torturous teens. We don't have to live in fear of

what each new phase of development may bring, what dangers might be lurking

behind every corner. Nor do we have to be perfect parents."

- Stormie Omartian

Recently, the Holy Spirit has been convicting me about entrusting Adilyn and Chloe to Him. Bradey and I dedicated Adilyn to the Lord on May 4, 2008 through a service held at our church. But I had no idea at the time the true power of doing that and truly trusting the Lord. Ultimately our children belong to Him and we are their earthly parents who have been given authority over them. Just recently, I have realized I have not wholeheartedly given my children to the Lord or I would not be living in this fear. That has to be such a blow to God, basically saying He is not powerful enough to take care of them, the ones He has created and breathed life into. He wants so much more from us than a church dedication service. He wants us to continue giving our children to Him and entrusting them to Him on a daily basis.

So the challenges that I'm focusing on this week are: (encouraged within the book)

• to declare myself to be in full partnership with God.
• to believe that He will carry the heaviness of the burden and provide wisdom, power, protection, and ability far beyond myself
• that I will do my job to discipline, teach, nurture, and "train up a child in the way she should go" knowing that "when she is old, she will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).
• to depend on God to enable me to raise my girls properly, and He will see to it that their life is blessed.

My prayer this week is: as I cover them in prayer and release them into God's hands, that He would release my mind from particular concerns and overwhelming fears and replace it with truth, peace and comfort.

Just a warning, many of my blog entries from this point on will probably be related to this subject since this is the season I am in right now. This is my way of journaling what the Lord is doing in my heart. I hope you enjoy and are encouraged as well. I promise to also blog about other things going on in our life soon. So, I'm sorry if you get tired of hearing about becoming a praying parent!! :)

A New Journey

"I remember calling my mother one night explaining my situation and asking her to pray for me. She responded by telling me that God had brought me to this place for a reason and that He was trying to get my attention. The following day when I opened the Word, I was stunned by the scripture 'Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you' (Matt. 6:33). I had read it so many times before but never realized the profound simplicity of the passage. I had become so sidetracked by my own personal challenges that I was constantly asking God to make something happen in my life rather than truly seeking the Spirit of God to empower my life. It was at that point I fell on my face before the Lord with no other agenda than to seek Him.

All this to say that God will often allow us to dig ourselves into our own stress-filled situations while waiting patiently for us to embrace His will first and foremost. And those miserable times become the very vehicle God uses to bring us into a deeper relationship with Him. I don't doubt that God was calling me to trust Him beyond my own comfort zone. Had I not gotten to that low point, I know I could not have come to the place where I would now be able to handle a recent abundance of blessing!" - Christopher Omartian

The above is an excerpt from Stormie Omartian's book, The Power of a Praying Parent. Recently, I have felt the Lord challenging me to intercede for my children. After all, He has given us the authority as parents to intercede powerfully for our children no matter what age they are or whether or not they live with us. After reading what her son wrote in the Foreword about his mother and her many years of praying for him, I was simply humbled and encouraged for many reasons. There was so much truth in what he said just about our personal relationship with the Lord. So many times we are so focused on ourselves and God is simply just waiting for us to seek Him first and foremost. Also, for him to have the kind of relationship with his mother to call upon her when he needs prayer is powerful. I so desire that for my relationship with my children.

I want my girls to know that one of my roles as their mother is to be an intercessor for them. An intercessor is one who prays for someone and makes possible the ability of that person to respond to God. No one else on earth will ever pray for our children with the fervency and consistency that we will as parents. What an awesome opportunity to powerfully affect our child's life for eternity.

So I tell you about my new journey for two reasons:

1) to encourage you to embark on this journey with me and challenge yourself to fervently pray for your children

2) to encourage me and pray for me to be consistent with this wonderful and fulfilling task of becoming an effective praying parent

While it is easy for every mom and dad to have the desire to pray for their children, knowing how to pray for them specifically can often be a challenge. - Stormie Omartian

As I embark on this adventure of praying for my children, my prayer is that I will find it to be an unending habit of my heart. Being able to positively affect my children in prayer will keep me in close contact with them and actively involved in their lives as well as growing intimately close with my God. I pray that it will continually contribute to my joy as a parent and Christ follower!

POUR OUT YOUR HEART LIKE WATER

BEFORE THE FACE OF THE LORD.

LIFT YOUR HANDS TOWARD HIM FOR THE

LIFE OF YOUR YOUNG CHILDREN.

LAMENTATIONS 2:19

If you want to begin this journey with me, leave a comment below so that I may encourage you and pray for you as well!

Girlfriends

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a women's retreat that my amazing church prepared, as they do every year! This year our special guest were Lisa Jernigan & Patty Wyatt. Theses two ladies are Co-founders of "Girlfriends Unlimited," an international organization and ministry for women and churches. The information they presented to us during the retreat was very encouraging, eye-opening, and powerful! In the opening session, they had us complete a Preview Profile - Girlfriend Style. The profile was titled, "Which Coffee Type are You?" It looked a little something like this:

Select the words in each category that describe your behaviors

(Choose what truly describes you, not how you would like to be described)

Latte

• evasive
• practical
• diplomatic
• factual
• controlled
• analytical
• inquisitive
• cautious
• persistent
• accurate
• deliberate
• detailed
• reserved
• precise

Chai

• relaxed
• patient
• good listener
• consistent
• thoughtful
• enjoys routine
• deep relationships
• amiable
• loyal
• team player
• adaptable
• avoids conflict
• dislikes change
• nurturing

Espresso

• demanding
• ambitious
• determined
• decisive
• bold
• firm
• goal driven
• decision maker
• competitive
• assertive
• takes charge
• purposeful
• leader
• enjoys challenge

Mocha

• inspiring
• likes recognition
• takes risks
• very verbal
• avoids details
• likes variety
• energetic
• people oriented
• optimistic
• expressive/emotional
• approachable
• visionary
• motivator
• creative

Now double the number of words selected in each category.

You can find this actual Profile on their website www.GirlfriendIT.com

This activity was neat because we could identify which personality we are and it made so much sense. The girls around me that night are some of my closest friends and we had such a good time doing this together. We laughed because we probably could have filled one of these out for each other. But more than that, it helped each one of us understand more of who we are, how we deal with people, circumstances, conflict, conversation, etc. We also received a better grasp on how to influence and communicate with each other!

Sometimes as women we don't understand our differences, we just expect everyone to be like ourselves. However, that can cause some frustration and create relationships that aren't solid! The entire experience over the course of the weekend made me really thankful for the girlfriends I have and also made me realize how important it is to make sure that we have girlfriends we can count on at all times. We need friends in our lives that we can be real with, call on at anytime, laugh and cry with, and be transparent with in full confidence that they have our best interest at heart!

I love getting together with my girlfriends because I can count on them to leave me refreshed with a fresh perspective, to encourage me as a Christ follower, and to walk forward with a greater purpose! I encourage you to evaluate your friendships. Do you have girlfriends that you can trust and be real with?

Finally, I will leave you with another great piece of information I gained at this awesome retreat: You have to put yourself out there, be vulnerable and transparent, in order for you to find and create friendships that are forever! They definitely don't just appear and fall in your lap! INVEST yourself in others lives and you will be blessed with that in return!

One Of My Favorite Memories

One of my favorite memories as a little girl is fishing with my Dad. This was something we did frequently when we were together. I remember going to dig up worms to take with us, learning to slide the worm onto the hook by myself, getting lessons on casting, holding the fish for the first time, and much more. I think I was even better than my Dad!

One of the last trips home to Rotan, Adi got to experience one of her first fishing expeditions. Bradey's parents have a tank by their house and we usually ride down to feed the fish.

This time we decided to let her catch some. This was so exciting for me because I would love for her to have memories of fishing with her Daddy like I do.

She wasn't real sure what to think about touching the slimy little thing. She eventually would let her Daddy place the fish in her hands and then she would throw it back into the water.

This was one of many fishing experiences I hope for her. I wish we had a place close to us that we could take her more often.

What are some of your favorite childhood memories that you hope for your children to experience?

TrIcK oR tReAt, SmElL mY fEeT...

GIVE ME SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT!

Another Halloween has come and gone and I absolutely can't believe this was Adi's 3rd year to experience Halloween festivities. Time goes by so fast!

Her first Halloween (2007) she was Nemo the fish! I know Nemo is a boy, but when I saw this costume, I just couldn't pass it up. We took her to St. Stephen UMC Fall Festival. Of course she couldn't do much at this point and had no idea what was going on around her. However, it was a fun beginning of a family tradition.

Her second Halloween (2008) she was a Squiggly Pig. For some odd reason people kept saying, "Oh look at that cute lamb!" Really??? Are lambs pink? Do they have a snout and curly tail? NO!!!!! Anyways, it was a cute costume and she looked adorable! We took her to SSUMC again and also to our church for their "Trunk-or-Treat" event. Nana and Granddad came up to Amarillo to join us and Adi had a blast with them while she got lots and lots of goodies.

And finally, her 3rd Halloween (2009) she was the prettiest princess of all! She got this 'Belle' princess dress at Disney World when we went last Christmas. Funny thing is, she has never seen the movie 'Beauty and the Beast' but she loves to dress up as a princess. The wig was my favorite part and I'm really not sure how I got her to keep it on.

This year was different because she had more knowledge of what Halloween was about and actually got to go 'Trick-or-Treating" with some of her friends. We still went to SSUMC and a couple of other festivals, but I think she had the most fun going door to door with her friends. I wasn't sure if she would actually say, "Trick-or-Treat" when strangers would open the door, but she did. Actually, she tried to go in a few of the houses to see their pets. She is a animal fanatic and when she saw that some had dogs or cats, she thought she should go and see them. So, we had to have a little chat about walking into strangers' homes.

When we returned home, we turned on our porch lights so she could hand out candy to some of the other trick-or-treaters. She had just as much fun handing out candy as she did getting it!

I love Halloween for some reason as a Mom. I enjoy finding her a cute costume and allowing her to experience the festivities that come along with Halloween. When I was little, I don't remember Halloween activities being a fun family tradition. I don't remember ever dressing up, carving pumpkins, or going to festivals. I'm sure I did, but it just wasn't a big deal to my family. So, I like creating family traditions that we can take part in each year. Hopefully, when Adi is older, she will remember these times of us as a family and also the memories she creates with friends.

I'm not sure who had more fun, me or her?!?!

Next year, we will have two little ones to dress up and experience all the fun!! Can't wait!