End of the Year!!

This is my attempt to catch my blog up in pictures and wrap up 2012! We have done so much on the house and are 1 month out from completion- we were hoping to finish Christmas, but with life and children... we had to push it back!
Going to be blogging and trying to get all of 2012 up before the year ends!! We have tons of things happening so I have to get on it...

Funny things my kids say that I need to remember real fast:
Mackenzie gets so mad when I wash her hair and I am trying to pass off this chore to her to do by herself completely. However, during the dramatic process (because EVERYTHING is dramatic when you have a daughter) she says, "Mommy, stop bossing my hair around. I do not like it!!" She calls me scrubbing her hair with shampoo = bossing it around.

David since he could speak constantly calls a "hotel" a "hu-tel". I don't know why and I can't seem to shake it. Oh well, hu-tel sounds a lot fancier I guess.


I need to start back at Halloween:

Trick or Treating at the Avenue outdoor shops. David was a pirate and Mackenzie was Belle.

Mackenzie loved the man on stilts... the girl has no intimidation or fear. David cautiously peered at him from behind my leg...

We have been trying to eat and try all the restaurants on the Marietta Square. We went to Thaicoon with some people from church and it was very yummy! We live being a mile from the square!

I am shocked we still use our bread mill and bread machine (going on 5 years) and we have been using our juicer for a year making the "Mean Green" veggie juice!

Our street during the fall...

I worked an Event with Microsoft when they released the new Surface in November...

Our 2012 pumpkin

I think we have close to almost 30 children on our street. We all went trick or treating! Have I mentioned how much I love living here??

I got a new beautiful nephew (Tim's oldest brothers and child #2), baby Ben. Tim and I are now Aunt J and Uncle Timmy to 4 sweet boys!

We spent lots of time on Kennesaw Mountain as the leaves changed on the weekends..

I've been helping teach the 3 year old nursery class at church...

Mackenzie LOVES baby dolls. She is a full time care taker of them right now

Tim turned 31

David was "Squanto" in his first school Thanksgiving play.

We had a FUN date night for Tims birthday to Ikea and dinner with my best friend who shares the same birthday!

I am still running the Farmers Market and made some yummy homemade cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving

Beautiful Thanksgiving day

LOTS of food!

Mackenzie and my nephew Josh have become so close and look so much alike!

Went back to my natural color being a brunette, ha!

Took the kids to see the Nutcracker!

We went on the Tour of Homes in Marietta with my mom and dad. It is all of the sudden fascinating to me since we now live inside the Historic District to see houses that have been renovated. It was fun and we got some great ideas!

Mackenzie was my first child to go to the E.R. Never thought it would be my daughter first. She opened her dresser drawer out on her and it went pretty deep right in her eyebrow line :( I was very sad, but she was super brave and barely flinched. 3 stitches in her eyebrow. So thankful the scar will be hidden.

Thought this was a little overkill, but they were numbing her face before stitches. FYI- if your small child ever gets stitches, they are put in a straight jacket so they don't freak out. It was so sad for me to see that. Again, she thought it was a game because Tim wraps them in blankets tight and they pretend they are burritos. Ha! Was thankful for that silly game that kept her calm.

David getting ready to sing in the Kindergarten Christmas Choir. So sweet.

Worked another event in early December at Coke Corporate. Every inch of that place was decorated, it was a lot of fun!

Love seeing the Polar Bear every year and he is so goofy when no people are around, we had fun with him!

Santa and Mrs. Claus.... the hilarious part about this... a friend paid for this couple to be at her childs birthday 3 years ago and GO FIGURE, my grandmothers assisted living place hired the same folks. I have the same picture from 3 years ago posted here. Hilarious.

Annual Christmas lights sight seeing...

Pink Pig ride on Mackenzie's 4th Birthday! Very fun, but the night ended very bad when we were pushed to the ground by some people who had robbed a store and were trying to flee. We were fine. Maybe more on that story later.

Mackenzie is now 4 and has lots of sassiness to prove it!!!

But she LOVESSSS her big brother. They are so so close and sweet together.

We decorated Gingerbread men at a friends house...

And to end the year, I suffered an injury renovating the house and have been spending LOTS of time in the physical therapy office every week. Definitely more on that later....

And here is Mackenzie in my shirt when I was a little 4 year old at Christmas.... oh how I see so much of myself in her it's scary!

Hold Fast blogland, I have more pictures, stories, and some big exciting things for 2013 we are pumped about :)

Tim

Sometimes I can't believe I met Tim almost 13 years ago. We were SO young! I realize christian marriages in general are a huge rarity. HUGE. Being married to 1 person your lifetime is an even bigger rarity. The divorce rate is through the roof and I remember being afraid for a short season of my life that my parents would divorce..... not because they didn't get along, but because that is what most of my friend's parents did. As I saw my parents love grow, even through the bad times, it gave me hope that real love does exist and I could find the love of my life one day. I am wildy impressed at those who did not have examples like mine and have just clung to truth and believed in holy marriage even though they had not seen it in their own lives. Tim and I's parents are both at 35 years and ridiculously in love.

I think at this point in our marriage, we really will lay down our own life, desires, and dreams for the other person. I never realized the power in this, but it is pretty awesome. Little did we know making a commitment to find Tim's passion in a career would have involved what it actually ended up involving.....
Whew. But. Wow.
I would seriously do it all again because he is so alive. And loves what he does every day. And you know what??
That makes me so happy because he has layed his life down for me to do what I love every day..... Raise these babies.

Now. Let me tell you the enemy is always trying to attack. Sabotage.
I have fears that I have to take captive. Surrender. And claim truth. Satan will make me question....
What if I don't hear God?
What will be the next storm that comes to hit us?

Each person will have a different set, but I promise you there is something that is a lie that will make you doubt. If you are following after Christ and trying to hear His voice, I promise you will also be attacked by the enemy and hear his lies. You can't live in fear. You can't live in regrets. And you really have to BELIEVE that God is working all things for the good of those that love Him.... And probably what I have learned the most is TRUSTING him with the hurt and pain this life will bring.

We are free from that. Greater is He that is within me and we have the power to call a lie a lie and claim truth. I can't tell you how alive we feel. How we have faced so much defeat, pain, and hardship.... and how God has redeemed it ALL. You don't always get what you want, but sometimes God blesses you 10 fold when you are obedient and continue to follow Him no matter what, even when you lose it all.

I really believe God redeems all circumstances. Maybe not how we think...
I shared this morning in my womens Bible study..... Tim went from being laid off- to getting a full scholarship to get his HVAC degree. To being the #1 Recruited Student out of the program. To being at one of the top companies in Atlanta handling their commercial accounts.
We went from putting our house for sale on a whim.... to selling it 13 days later. :/
To realize the week of closing was also the week that Tim was going to be losing his job. We didn't know that. But God did.
We put all our stuff in storage. We lived with his parents while he worked, went to school, and we bought Nellie Mae and renovated her.
Almost 3 years ago we were home-less. We now own 2 homes. God redeemed.
God also redeemed all of the hard hard work of cleaning houses that I did. When Tim was going through the transition, I advertised on craigslist and would clean on evenings, weekends, and mornings whenever Tim or the grandparents could watch the kids. Normally when they would nap or be in bed. There was a stretch when I was cleaning 13 houses a month. God humbled me during that time and has now redeemed me with some really fun and rewarding part time work as an event planner.
And our children..... our precious precious children. God has redeemed. David asked the other day if anyone he knew would be in heaven right now. We talked about my Uncle Bob who just went this week, my mothers father, Clarence and Chefs mother, Alice. Chefs dad EJ is also in heaven. Then he asked if there were any kids he would know that are there. I told him he had LOTS of brothers and sisters in heaven. 5 to be exact.  David was THRILLED. And said, Well mommy we are all going to end up there anyway so its ok right? You have to love a 6 year old's simplicity.
Yes baby, We will all end up there together. I figure one day when they are older or if they ever ask or if it is appropriate, Ill show them the ultrasounds of all of them. Or Mackenzie may want to see that she had a twin. I'm so blessed God picked these 2 kids for me to keep here on Earth and have for a short time. I still firmly believe God isn't done with our family. I don't know what that exactly looks like, but He has told me He isn't done.

Well, the whole post was supposed to just be about Tim and his awesome job. They like him. And they took him on a big fishing and golfing trip. And Tim, being the stud and jack of all trades he is, of course brought home a freaking massive Amber Jack fish. He did find out down there it was worth $24/ lb. so for a few days I swore he would sell it and bring home cash, but he didn't. He brought home fish. Lots of awesome, awesome fish. He also caught a grouper! Anyway, I was so happy for him to go and here are a few pictures:

Vegas, baby.

As my 3 year old loved telling everyone, "my mommy works in vegas." Yeah.... that one needed some follow up! Anyway, I worked as a VIP Logistics Event Planner for Kia and the event was in Vegas for 1 week.
It was truly a blast. If you have read the above post, I have obviously had a lot of time (7 years) of not working to really think about what I want to do with my time when I do and can work and my children get a little older. In the past 2 years, I have done a few events a year and love it more and more. It's been really awesome for our family. For Tim to take on some of my roles and help out on the days or week that I work- who doesn't love swapping roles once in a while?!- and me just to have a time out from my day to day, kids, the house, the construction (do i really need to list it?!)- and for the kids- they get to go to a friends house for a playdate. David is only half day kindergarten from 9 to 1. Mackenzie is still home with me, however, Davids school has a moms morning out that she can go to if I ever have an appointment, ect. Its the same hours so that is great.

Anyway, the confidentiality of this job is pretty high. We work closely with company executives and their big meetings and most of what we see and do we cannot share. It has been really neat to be on the inside of so many companies and really see what they are like. Some are as they appear. Some are not at all!
My specific role was to handle all logistics for the corporate VIP during the entire week of the event. It was long days and some long nights, but a huge success. I really love my role at Logistics and feel like I have been naturally gifted at it because I love it so much and it doesn't stress me out. And I totally credit all my experience of running a home, children, and 2 pretty intense house renovations logistically. Haha!

One funny story that has nothing to do with my job. So, one night I was waiting for the president of Kia at the restaurant he was going to be eating at. I was dressed all in black with notebooks, phones, nextels, ect..... kinda looking like the secret service. Well, all of the sudden this guy walks right up in front of me lingering and then slowly takes a few steps away. I turn away from him so that he cannot hear what I am saying into my radio because he was standing so close. As I get a little further away from him, I finally look at his face and it strikes me that this man looks just like Ryan Seacrest. He stares right at me and then I look away because my radio comes in again that the president is almost there. I shrug off my thought because why would Ryan Seacrest just be hanging out in my hotel in front of this restaurant?? And why was he so small?? He sat down in front of me in the lobby of the restaurant I was standing in. After the president came in, I had really forgotten about him! Well, Thursday night we got invited out on our off time to Tryst Nightclub in our hotel. I know. Me in a nightclub. Mother of 2. Whatever..... I went, we got on a list to get in free so I figured what the heck! I had also already been in one a couple nights earlier because we had hosted an event in one. So, I was not afraid. I had friends with me and security was tight. Right before we went in they told me they were pretty sure a celebrity had just walked past them. I asked who? Sure enough they said Ryan Seacrest. This time, we ask security because I swear I am losing my mind. They confirm its him and he came in town early all week for his IHeartRadio event at MGM. So, he gets ushered to a booth with security surrounding him. No chance we are going to be hanging out. What is weird is only 1 other person spotted it was him besides us. He kept a very quiet profile. He is super tiny. And very tan. And was with 2 other men. Anyway, it was very funny. Even funnier since few nights before I told everyone I blew him off. So, the next morning my team was calling me Mrs. Seacrest all day.

Good times. I guess you never really know who you are going to run into when in Vegas. Let me just throw in one more thing. You also never know who you are going to be sitting in an airplane next to on the way to Vegas. And that is a whole separate issue..... Lord have mercy! The couple I sat next to on the way out there were taking shots, chewing tobacco, and throwing back those 5 hour energy drinks like crazy. I was so un-easy and was also pretty sure none of those things were supposed to be mixed :/
I also watched numerous people get married. Also saw a completely full black jack table at 745 in the morning with drinks in hand, ready to go. It's Vegas, baby.

Other highlight was the Eagles were the hosted talent this year (well, most of the Eagle members). They were pretty amazing and, again, me not recognizing famous people ate dinner next to the saxophone player and had no idea. Not even sure what I was rambling on about during that meal :/

Since I have been back home I have been able to do a few events in Atlanta, last week a few days at the Chickfila corporate office which is always a treat to work with them. I say it is hilarious what I do because my life goes from such a preschooler/kindergartener lifestyle of mess, toys, cleaning, and construction to an entire different extreme when I am at work that it is so humorous to me! I can't tell you how blessed I feel to live both right now and be able to learn what I am learning. No job I have done yet, for me, has been as hard, rewarding, and rich as staying at home with my kids... and I really mean that.

I always dreamed of being a wife and mother, but I also long for a small life outside of that. Something where I can feel like I am using other gifts and learning and growing in an industry I can hopefully become more a part of as my children grow up and start their own lives (we are talking long term here obviously). But, I feel like I have to make choices now and be intentional so that when the time comes and I can work part time, I will know what I want to do..... and what I don't want to do. Anyway, here are a few snap shots of glamorous Vegas life. Tim always so sweet when I come home. Life on the event includes a fancy hotel with 2 maid crews during the day that clean your room and all of your meals prepared for you!!! Haha!! You see the contrast? Whenever I come home he has cleaned and has dinner thought out.... its really sweet and I have to remind him that there is never anywhere else I'd rather be. Besides, my OCD-ness always straightened up a little after the maids left because it wasn't how I do it :/
The Wynn Hotel...

 

 A nightclub we hosted a reception at... actually very classy

 

Secret service style...

Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh from the Eagles...

I could watch these fountains every night at the Bellagio, beautiful

Me and the dancing Kia hamster, my kids love him..

I really have the best memories from this trip and I love that God has allowed me to be apart of it.

6

I have ohsomuch to catch up on, I am going to try my very best. I think my very first blog entry was right before David turned 2 and I was 39 weeks pregnant with Mackenzie. I am not a scrapbook-er, great journal-er, and didn't even really keep a great baby book.... so this is it. And this has suffered quite a bit trying to blog about our babies and our real estate adventures! And it's online for the whole free world to read, but if you know me you know that I don't really give a rip about that anyway =)

So, my baby turned 6.
I know he is only 6, but it felt like he graduated high school this birthday. We entered into a new life stage. I very much agree with Andy Stanleys recent teaching on raising kids.... the first 5 years is really big on laying the foundation and the investment into your kids. At school age, they enter a new season and a lot of the framework has been laid for them. I only believe in his message so much because we just lived it.

It's weird to think about when I was 23 and pregnant with David. I am such a different mom now at 30. In a good way. Way more laid back. Way more go with the flow. Also reaping the fruit of what I have sewn for the past 7 years of dedicating my life to these little ones. I just can't put it into words, but it is worth it. Worth it. Worth every long night, behavior phase, and minute I have spent investing the long long days of staying at home. It fuels me to keep on. That what I am doing is what I am supposed to be doing..... and man do I need that some days with a 3 1/2 year old little girl right behind him, can I get an amen?! And even more props to the moms that work and still pour into their wee ones. I have worked a lot these past 2 years and I know that working moms put themselves last for sure.

I love my kids ages right now. We are having so much fun as a family of 4 and we are in that phase of no baby stuff anywhere. It's a phase my husband said he looked forward to the most. No naps. Everyone can communicate. We travel easily. We are just soaking in this life stage with these little people who are just made for fun!

Davids big gifts from us and family for his 6th birthday and what he is most into: hotwheels (still!), a new bike, a Wii, Skechers (b/c apparently thats what the cool kids wear), youth boy clothes (because we are so out of 5t now), LEGOS, and I'm talking more LEGOS. Had NO idea about the world of legos out there. I'll just let you discover it when time allots, its pretty mind blowing. We had some close friends and family over and what else does a little 6 year old boy like? Fire. So, we had a bonfire and dinner. In our construction site of a house. Our sweet closest people didn't seem to mind one bit.

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby David. These kids are just an overflowing blessing...... I actually just had my first real adult conference with his kindergarten teacher...... you know those moments when you feel like an adult? I know that sounds silly because I am 30, but there are events that take place that make me feel super adultish and I get kind of uncomfortable.... that is one of those times. Anyway, if I had heard even 3 years ago what his teacher just told me about David I would have told you that you had the wrong boy!! No offense, but if you have been a long time follower of the blog, little David was pretty much Hell on Wheels as a toddler. I was the one disliked at playgroups for the out of control child, chasing after him, disciplining him, ect....
For so long we have been consistent with him and I really owe it all to the Lord for shepherding his heart, mine, and raising him into such a caring, sweet, smart little kindergartener. Tim is also one amazing dad and from a family of all boys, he keeps me balanced with letting chaos reign a little and embracing it.... and well, maybe even encouraging it a little as well. Seems we have us quite a smart and well behaved little child....
David has told me he may fix everything like his daddy when he grows up as well as right now he wants to be married and have 5 sons. That's right, 5. And that they will all be coming to spend the night with me from time to time. Again, good thing his daddy can fix stuff ;) Bring it on!

So, I have a 6 year old. And other people think he is pretty awesome, not just his mom ;)

I will be back!!!

I was hoping to update all the blogs before I left town, but that did not happen! I am an event planning job in Las Vegas for 7 days, same one I did last year!

Today I let the dishes go- let the blogging go- and didn't even turn the camera on.... I just soaked in my last day before my big trip with my little people =)

And I'm so glad, granted right now I am cleaning like a mad woman while they sleep!!

I have so many pictures of the house, the progress, crazy fall fun times, the new Bible study I just started with my moms group at church, apple picking, and mostly my little man turning 6 this week (we are celebrating when I come home next weekend).

But, It will have to wait.

I fly out in the morning. And, when I come home, Tim leaves a few days later on a company golf trip! So, next week it will be me and my kiddos and me and my computer at night! 

Hope everyone has had a fantastic fall kick-off! Check back next week!

Balancing the Un-balanced

The kiddos got fish.
From Mimi- ill throw that in there :) No mommy in her right mind trying to balance life, a house renovation, part time work, 2 children, and a dog goes out and buys goldfish to take care of.

I'm kidding. They are just fish. And my kids are obsessed with them. They are beta fish named, Charmy and Sam. Guess you can pick which gender of child named each fish.

Anyway, I had a beta fish that lived for 5 years so that is why i saw this as a big commitment.
We had to cover some ground rules about the fish, but un-mistakably we've had some trial and error with the fish.
The morning after we got the fish, I went into my 3 year olds room to find her hovering over the aquarium with a big smile. There were about 4 crayons floating at the top of the bowl and my sweet one looks to me and says, "Charmy wants to color mommy."

After we got past fish don't color, drink orange juice, or like their bowl being toted around the house.... I think we may be at normal now. Thank you so much Mimi. I think we should return the favor and maybe get Mimi a pet hamster for her birthday, wouldn't that be thoughtful??

David and Mackenzie are just really fascinated by little creatures in general right now. They build bridges for ants outside, dig for worms, make bug houses out of bricks and left over wood around the house.... you know, because most normal families have construction material laying around.

We aren't normal. Our life is not balanced. Again, some curve balls life has thrown and some pitches we have purposely swung at. Either way, our journey is unique. And so is yours. You have to figure out how to bring balance to chaos at some point. Sink or Swim.
Anyway, I think we have somehow figured out how to live our life perfectly unbalanced balance. Clear as mud, right?

We have to communicate a lot right now as we are close to bringing this project to a close by the year end. We do many things wrong, but communication is one thing we do well. That is my only warning when you take on something big as a couple. Communication is huge and if it isn't being done before a major life event, never assume a major life event will call that to be. Communication is how we balance the un-balence. We balance Tim's normal work with his work on the renovation. I balance grocery shopping with Home Depot, craigslist, and amazon shopping for the house. We balance a tight budget with income and then income brought in by creative ways to pay for our home. We balance productive saturday mornings with a lazy saturday morning. We balance family afternoon time with let the kids go over to mimi's house while we rip our ceiling out. We balance our marriage with blueprints and then a night out to dinner.

It somehow all works even though there are days where I feel like I am miserably failing. I do know this phase of life requires a lot less sleep and a heck of a lot of planning. To have the have-tos taken care of so that I can fulfill my kids want-tos and more.

I would give the world to them and my very life for them, but I know the greatest gift I can give them is a great marriage of their parents and instill that we work hard for what we have.
It's hard to have a good attitude about that sometimes. Especially when I am supposed to be the adult ;)

As we push the ball further, the light gets brighter. We are somehow really doing this. And the momentum to finish keeps pushing us on. My children and their future in this house pushes me on and a dream fulfilled to a husband pushes me on. The future purpose of this home and children that may be in this home someday pushes me on. God is so good.

I promise to posts pics soon. I honestly have to get around to taking pictures, but here is what we have done since we moved in 12 weeks ago:

bathroom completely gutted and renovated
meth lab shed ripped out and carport repaired
house painted from a bright yellow to a grey- still have to cut in
all landscaping ripped out
new landscaping planted
new front door installed to a new floorplan
new shutters installed
flowerboxes installed for curb appeal
The Addition- a huge 19x15 room was added to the home and done poorly. We have-
ripped out the sliding glass doors that were on the interior of the house
taken out the permanent window unit for hvac they installed
took out windows and doors to make a new layout of the room
ripped out ceiling
ripped out flooring
framed in new ceiling
framed in built in bookshelves
Tim made a new mud room for me
We have most of the bedrooms how we want them

Things we have left-
finishing touches on the exterior, brick mason coming to do a brick water table
Drywall crew coming to finish off the addition
Renovate kitchen
Renovate Master bath
spruce up the screened in patio eventually

With it being the beginning of September, we are hopeful to finish by January. The kitchen is a big deal, but we are not moving around plumbing and electrical. Just cabinets, appliances, and hopefully refinishing the hardwood floors underneath the current linoleum.

That is where we are. This house is blowing my mind.... we have really fallen in love with it. It is the perfect size, location, and area. It is different and pretty awesome to be renovating a house that you see yourself in for a long time.
I never could have dreamed up this journey we are on. Everyday I am so thankful that God has blazed a more exciting and more rewarding plan than I could have ever come up with. And that is my Hope here, the if He is led me here, then He will give me the strength to do it. I love how every season of life God is always our Savior, always.

Ministry

That word has meant a lot of different things to me at a lot of different points of my life.

When Tim and I first got married, we worked full time with a college ministry. That has definitely been one of our favorite memories so far as well. At the end of our time there, I was pregnant with David at 23. That seems crazy to me now!
Anyway, all of the sudden my life seemed to STOP. My ministry became diapers, feedings, schedules, few showers, fewer adult interactions.... ect.
God changed my heart though. I had to train myself to be at home and be content. It's easy to go, go, and GO all the time. Just as any transition to a new job, I think staying at home you have to take on as a job and adjust to it. And give it time.
I just think so many women need to hear that your biggest ministry is within your 4 walls. That doesn't mean you shouldn't work. Each family is different.
I remember thinking when I was staying at home that I wasn't "doing" enough for God. Who was I leading to Christ? Where were the poor? The needy? The sick? And how in the world was I going to live out the Great Commission stuck inside my 4 walls all day???
How was changing a diaper going to save anyone?

I find myself at 30 a different mother than when I started out!  God broke down what ministry looked like, broke my pattern of thought that God was waiting for me to DO something, and that God would love me more if I were more useful for Him.

It's all a lie of the enemy. The fact-of-the-matter is this: Jesus loves you know matter what you do. No matter if you are running a nursing home out of your house or if you woke up and decided you were going to sit on your couch the entire day. God doesn't love you more one way or the other. If you REALLY can believe that, it is life changing. It brings FREEDOM of feeling guilt, busyness, or purpose. Your purpose is solely to know that you are passionately loved by God no matter what.

Jeremiah 31:3. I have loved you with an everlasting love.

I know our love for Him will be an overflow, and that is what it should be.... overflow. We will naturally tell others about Christ and reach out. I just feel like sometimes we are....

MISSING IT.

Your marriage is a ministry. Your children are a ministry.
If we aren't doing a good job at ministering to those people, then why in the WORLD are we trying to show Jesus to neighbors and nations????

Honestly, the last 2 1/2 years, my biggest ministry besides my children has been Tim. He went through a major career change that was spurred by one of the biggest crashes in the housing market. I knew that God was calling me to be Jesus to him through the past chunk of time in our marriage. To love him, encourage him, help him, take him dinner at school, take on side jobs and extra work to take some pressure off him financially, being a good mom to the kids that he loves, being a good steward of the home that he comes home to. And I still work a little now to help cash-flow our home renovations, my husband's dream and one I have fallen in love with now as well.

Call me old fashioned, that's fine. But, I think if we all really got SERIOUS about our roles as a wife and mother, then that would cause some people to see Jesus.  Because, really, how many people are doing that well??? Exactly. It is real life ministry. I'm sure every woman would want this:

Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise and called her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.
⁸ 
I fall very short of being an perfect wife and mother, but all I want is for my husband and kids to know that I have their back. That I love them. And that they are the ministry I have right now. They have my full attention. I have the same dreams of reaching people besides them, but there is a time and season for it. (see below devotion).

Don't put pressure on yourself or others to think you need to start a movement. Start with your family first. Value the season of life that you are in, because it will surely pass.

During seasons of your marriage, you may also be the one that needs ministering to. Lord knows during all the babies we lost it was Tim pushing me on.

If you can view your marriage as a team and a ministry, it's a game-changer. What can you do to be Jesus to the man you vowed to and the children you probably dedicated to the Lord?
Don't get distracted, don't get off the path. You have a very clear mission and I hope reading this empowers you.

That's the end of all my deep thoughts from Jen, haha! I had so many freeing truths this summer that I really was dying to post them so I will look back and re-read what God told me.  I need reminders to stay focused.

This is a great passage if you need a devotion today: Ecc. 3:1-15.
There is an appointed time for everything.  And there is a time for every event under heaven ~
² A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
³ A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up.
⁴ A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
⁵ A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.
⁶ A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away.
⁷ A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak.
⁸ A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace.
⁹ What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?  ¹⁰ I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. ¹¹ He has made everything appropriate in its time.  He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; ¹³ moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor, it is the gift of God.  ¹⁴ I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him.  15 That which is has been already, and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by."

Praying today!!

New Stage of Life.

Whitewater, the lake with my family on their boat, birthday parties, play dates, pool with friends, popsicles, sprinklers in the lawn, biscuits every Saturday morning, garage sales, car drives, movies, Savannah, the 4th of July on the Square, a summer church Bible study, dinner with friends, a beach vacation with family, running a farmers market at our house, doctors and dentist appointments, RENOVATING our house. But on the contrast, laziness, sleeping in, going out to eat, ordering pizza, pajama days, planting flowers, going through change of season clothes.

Well, that about sums up our summer. We have reached this point in our little family of four where we just all love being together. And doing everything together. We don't have babies anymore, we have little people. It's a really big milestone I think and I know we are building up a deep relationship with our kiddos that I think will be most important when they are older and really need us, not just now to tie a shoe =)

I'd like to think that is where our investment in them comes into play bigtime. I make small deposits all day long every day and I have for the past 7 years since I found out I was expecting David. All these little choices and little "insignificant" things I do 24/7  are amounting to when their need is great. They know I am here. For me, that is what I know God has called me to do. I believe He gives each mother a plan.

All that to say our first day of kindergarten went really smooth!
David described his day to me like this,
"I went in. We talked to the flag (the pledge of allegiance), we worked. And I worked real hard. I wasn't wild. And I wasn't bad with Coleston (his bff in the class). I love lunch. I made friends. I really want to go back."

And we all know thats a good thing he wants to go back- poor baby didnt know he doesnt really get an option. The kindergarten I put him in gets out at 1:00. I truly can't tell you how this seems to have been the perfect fit for little man. I did have a few days of tears last week, especially knowing we have almost definitely decided we are not going to have anymore biological children (that's another post), but I became so happy and at peace on Sunday. It all went well and I feel like he is going to thrive. Can you tell his excitement in the last picture?! Here are our summer pics and I will have to catch up on our house renovation. Our deadline is Christmas, people laugh, but we are no joke. We are kicking into a ridiculous gear to finish. Pics.... please excuse the fact these are all pulled off my new phone! I finally joined 2012 and got a samsung galaxy- i love it. And i never have a camera with me now!

  Surfing in Savannah

Roadtrip to Savannah- love this picture of Mackenzie

Became Marietta Regional Distributor for Farmers Market Baskets, my profile pic!

The renovated bathroom we just finished

Doctors appointments! David- 95th percentile, Mackenzie- 10th for weight, 25th for height

Stats have stayed the same for them since birth, i have a big boy and a wee one =)

Davids First Day of Kindergarten, yay buddy we made it =)

Here's to an end of a great great summer! So crazy we moved in May 25. We somehow managed to have a life outside of just the house!