Complete

Have I ever mentioned that I am married to a man of many talents? We made the decision to finally paint the outside of our house in November. Thanks to a great friend, it was done just after Thankgiving and it looks like a brand new house. So of course my old southwest decor security door had no place with the new paint. We looked online at new doors, and yikes...expensive! Shane and I talked about whether he could cut out the southwest parts of the door and if we could, add our own custom design. It worked, and 10 days at the powder coat place for a new color and bang, here it is. I find myself driving past my house just to look at it because the whole package is so beautiful! The whole door transformation cost just over $100, saving us over $250 if we would have bought new! So, if you want your door 'upgraded' give my man a call.

Hair, hair, hair...

Many of you have asked about hair recently and wanted to see some pictures so here is the latest creation. I took out the previous style on Sat. but didn't have time to put anything in until last night. She was a tropper and watched some Ski-cross and Women's figure skating. (she still does cry, especially when I am braiding the back near her neck) Anyway, she jumped up to look in the mirror after and then came running out to tell me thank you. This was a first...made me feel so special. We talk all the time about the awesomeness (is that a word?) of her hair and how God created it to be curly and she smiles. Hopefully we can continue to grow our relationship with this special time that is resevered for her and I.

PS this is the best I have ever parted the braids...they are all about the same size...practice makes perfect!

Rock Band

Yes, the Self's Rock Band...complete with crazy outfits and messy hair..ready to perform at a location near you!

Getting to the HEART of it...

I spent my Valentine's weekend at Banner Baywood Medical Center, and while the nurses were all amazing and polite I would have prefered the company of my hubby. (Although my heart toes were a hit with the doctors and nurses alike) It was an experience to say the least. My heartrate and blood pressure were out of control and with no explination why. All my blood tests, 10 draws to be exact, came back great. My blood sugar was off and they did a diabetes work up because of my family history which was a little unnerving but ended up being normal. Finally, the cardiologist decided to begin ttreatment with some medication which then I in turn broke out into a rash garenteeing another night. Oh the joys of trying to figure out why an otherwise healthy 33 yr old woman is showing signs of full blown hypertension. So they tried a second medication and it worked...praise God. I am currently on a beta blocker but not willing to accept that this is a life long thing. I am seeking some additional medical help as well as investigating the possible hormone and/or stress factors too. Is my plate full, YES, is it more than I can handle...no, if I believe that God has put us on this path. (which of course I do) He never gives us anything beyond our ablility, and if we feel it is more than we can handle He equips us to rise to the challenge. Never in a million years would I say "hey Lord, how about a 3day hospital stay with 5 little kids at home...that sounds like fun!" BUT as alwaysGod is a master planner. I spent more time praying for my friends and family than I have in a really long time. I had quiet...pure quiet for those days. I have peace through out the whole stay...which I found to be so uncharactoristic of me. I never once felt scared or in a panic over what was happening and I attribute that to the prayers of so many supporting me. The hardest part we seeing my kids hurt and deal with me being gone and their own insecurities but we managed. And just like God, he maanged to make my bible study fit right in...He's so cool!

"Two are betterthan one, because they have a good return for their labor; If they fall down, they can help each other up. But pity those who fall and have no one to help them up...a cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12 (TNIV)

I have experienced so much love and support from not only family, but church family too. We had meals brought in all week, not to mention all the emails, texts, phone calls and facebook wishes. This week I experienced the body of Christ working exactly the way God intended and Paul spoke so elliquently about. It has been a humbling and exillerating week all at once. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have provided for us either physically or spiritually...we are blessed.

Lord, I praise you for your church coming together to serve our family this week. I praise you for family that visited me in the hospital. I am not sure your plan with my heart issues but you are to be lifted up through all this. I trust you to help the doctors figure things out and heal me. I am thankful for the most amazing husband to pick up the tremendous slack this past weekend and into this week. I am humbled by the time you gave me to be quiet, pray and be in your peaceful presence. Amen

...words...

My bible study this semester is 100% God ordained. I have been struggling since Nov with my words...to peers, family and my children. God began preparing my heart for the deep conviction I would experience back then and He has not failed me. At times over this past week I have found myself curled up in an emotional ball of despair. I have not felt like a very kind person, or a nice mommy. I let my tongue have free reign and was content to spred the 'truth' to who ever was within ear shot. So, as God began opening my heart for what feels like monumental change He also lined up each lesson to what I needed most in the week, this past week hit like a tons of bricks. The power of my words to my children...ouch! I have discovered that the more kids I have the more I bark orders. I say please and thank you less and demand action/obedience more. I am even ashamed to say that at some moments I was prideful at the discipline I was enforcing because "I was the mom and I was in charge". Ouch again! As I read last weeks chapter and completed the lesson my heart hurt more and more. How could I speak to my kids this way? How could I expect them to obey a raging crazy person...nobody listens to barking orders.

If you ever begin to feel like your words are hurting more than healing I recommend this book...The Power of a Womans Words but Sharon Jaynes. It is powerful!!! It is convicting and it can change your life. So many things I want to share from the book, but this part spoke to me the most...

"A mother's support means a great deal to her child. She is an encourager whose voice can be heard echoing in the distance, pumping courage and confidence into her children's heart. She's the cheerleader on the sidelines who knows that an uplifting words, offered at the right moment, might make the difference between her children finishing well or collapsing along the way." (pg 60)

How powerful our words can be...to help push my child into the direction of God's lighted path or cause them to feel their way in the dark, bumping into who knows what. If I would just stop and think before I speak then I know I could use my words to be encouraging, even at times of correction. During class yesterday, our leader made a huge point about how when our kids are infants we cheer, clap and get excited over every little milestone...smiling, crawling, walking, etc. This reaction by us the parents, (me, the mother) makes them beam with pride and gives them the courage to take another step. But somewhere along the way, as they get older this reaction shifts to demands and 'why didn't you do...', or 'why do I always have to tell you to...'. I want to mimic Jesus...yes, he taught, yes, he even had hard, convicting truth to speak but always with LOVE (and out of that love, encouragment). I want to give the a healthy view of God to my kids and be the example of how He speaks to his children. I don't want them to think He is demanding, mean and expects perfection. In one moment He gave up everything on that cross so that we could have our intimate relationship with the Father and to be an example of anything else is not honoring His sacrifice. So today, I am movin on! I am making the choice to be different with my words at every moment. And since there has only been one perfect person in this world I will give myself grace when I screw it up and pick up where I was derailed. What a blessing to be able to see an area in need of change, have the tools and opportunity to change and put it into action. Awesome!

Lord, thank you for the specific challenge to change my heart. Thank you for opening my heart to your correction. Thank you for the affirmation I see even now as I begin to use my words differently. Lord, help me to not be discouraged and focus on the results but to remember that we are all walking on this path towards you. Lord you are our example of encouraging words...thank you for your living Word. Burn a passion in my heart for your truth as I pursue this challenge. Bless these children you have entrusted to us and light their fire for you. Use me to mold your truth into their hearts. Amen

Pancakes, Bacon and Whoopee?

Our Sunday morning tradition has become homemade buttermilk pancakes and bacon. (It is Shane's specialty!) The devour this breakfast and look forward to it every weekend...sometimes we have the pancakes both weekend mornings. This week the kids added a bit of goofiness to the morning with their whoopee cushions they got at a birthday party the day before. Jacob's face is priceless as he is currently at the age where 'fake' tooting is a comedic show. I plan to track those cushions down and put them is a 'safe place' for a while...a little too much whoopee for me!!!

Friday night pizza in the park

Since the weather has been stupendous we decided to do pizza at the park Friday. Of course we had to have a ridiculous amount of fun too. I love my family and evenings like this...eat your hearts out if you live any where but here...

Blossoming right before our eyes...

Samantha has spent countless hours after school coloring and then 'writing' a story about the picutre she just drew. She has an interesting and beautiful imagination. (and cracks me up most of the time too) This is a picture of Mommy, Nah-nah (Ayana's nick name), and Samantha and we are all ballarinas. I love how she attempted to spell based on her ablility to sound out words. This I will treasure forever...

A little love on a Tuesday morning