God's Word

Last night as I sat down on my bed after all the kids were in bed asleep and the chores were done, I grabbed my bible and just stared at it. For some reason, I felt the Holy Spirit just say to me, "This...is for you, Jennifer." I guess growing up in church, having darkened the doors of the church every time they opened, I have to be very careful about taking the Bible for granted. It's been in my hand since I was able to grasp it with my little fingers and sometimes I lose the intimacy of its meaning and of its being. Last night, for some reason, I just saw it differently. The fact that God opened my eyes to his love letter to me was welcomed and much needed. It was as if I could actually see the words written on the cover, " To: Jennifer, From: God." I just prayed and thanked God for allowing me the freedom and privelege to have a Bible. I thanked Him for how it has changed my life, how it continues to correct and teach me, how it has never failed me and how it lets me know Him more. My accountability group is reading the book of Matthew and I just couldn't get enough last night. To read the actual words that Christ spoke and how he so eloquently, yet simply, taught his disciples so that they would understand. Yesterday, in the car, Ivey asked me how she can hear God's voice. I thought it was a pretty remarkable question for a three-year-old and, to be honest, I had to think for a minute about how to word my answer so that she could understand. My first answer was, "By reading the Bible. God speaks to us through the Bible. He also speaks to us through other people and other things we may hear or see."

Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you for teaching me and opening my eyes to how precious it is. Help me not to take it for granted and help me to study it more so that I can, in turn, know you more. Amen.

We're back!

Papa throwing the ball with Gavin in the pool

Gavin got a new hat with a baseball on it - he likes to wear it backwards. He gets that from his Dad!

Me and the bear that Chris won from playing a basketball game at the amusement park. More pictures of the amusement park to come later!

Can we say... Ham!

We did manage to get one photo of the five of us together. When the kids get a little older I really want to have professional pictures taken at the beach. But, until then this will have to do!

We had a great time visiting Chris' brother and his family in Charleston and spending the week with my family at the beach this past week. I have tons of pictures, so I'll try to share a few each day.

We're out of here!

We're headed to Charleston in the morning to spend the weekend with Chris' older brother and his family. On Sunday, we're leaving Charleston to spend the rest of the week in North Myrtle Beach with my family. I'm excited to be headed to the beach - sand and sun are my friends!! I'm also excited about getting to spend 10 days with my hubby and our kids, doing fun things and having a good time. I'm sure I'll have TONS of pictures and lots of stories upon my return. A friend will be staying here at the house to take care of the house and dog. I hope you all have a great week because I know I will!!

My newest creations

These are travel mugs that I personalized for Morgan's teachers for end-of-the-year gifts.

Bloomers for my friend's baby

Beach towels for the little ones

I'm loving having this embroidery machine. I've been able to make gifts for lots of people and doesn't everyone love something with their name on it? I've forgotten to take pictures of some of the things I've done, but these are the ones I've remembered.

Spending time with God

I'm tired of Satan getting the best of me. I've really been struggling lately to have my quiet times (reading my bible, praying, working on my bible study, etc.) on a daily basis. I prayed to God, "Lord, you know how much I love you. You know my heart. You know that I want to know you more... why is this such a huge struggle for me?" I met with my accountability group Saturday morning and shared this and I can feel their prayers. Also, on Sunday morning our pastor preached a great sermon about the life I live is Christ living in me. There is nothing I can do to earn his approval, his forgiviness or his mercy. I must die to myself every day and allow him to live through me. So, I said to Satan, "I'm not letting you win this battle. I won't make the choice any more to be too busy to spend time with my Lord every day. I'm not too busy to be on the computer, I'm not too busy to watch TV, so I'm certainly not too busy to spend time with God." I told Chris about my struggle last night and I told him that I wasn't going to get on the computer until I had spent time with God. Lately, God has been bringing to mind something that a friend of mine told me over a year ago. She was talking about how she spent time at her grandmother's house and that her grandmother taught her lots of things. But, one of the things she remembered the most was her grandmother telling her that if she's not hungry for the Word of God in the mornings then she wasn't hungry at all. Basically, since man does not live on bread alone but by every word of God, she wouldn't feed her physical body until she had fed her spirit by spending time with God. I've never forgotten that story. So, the Lord spoke to me yesterday and said, "What are you trying to live on? You are starving yourself!" I surrendered. I spent time in the Word and in prayer before beginning my day today and I plan to do that every day. I know that God knows my situation and how busy I am, but seriously... if I have time to do all the other things, don't I REALLY also have time to spend with Him? Of course, I do, I just didn't want to admit it.

Days are flying by

Well, today I feel like I don't have much interesting to write about. We have just been doing our normal routine. Morgan's last day of 5th grade was today - he'll be a "middle schooler" next year. He'll be in the youth group for crying out loud! I can't believe it.

Now on to what's really been bothering me,
I usually rock Gavin at night (I know... some people say he's too old for that, but he's my baby and I can rock him as long as I want to!) while Chris reads Ivey a book. Every night I think to myself, "Wow. I can't believe another day has gone by already." It just seems like the days go by so quickly and that my kids are growing up too fast - right before my very eyes. Tonight I'm a little sad about it. I love the ages they are now. They have enough independence that we feel like we can go places and do fun things, but they aren't so independent that they don't need us anymore. Sometimes I just want time to stand still. I was just talking to Chris last night about a spirit of fear that I'm having right now. It's fear that something tragic may happen to one of my children. I think that it's because, in the past 2 years, I've known people or have read about people, like Steven Curtis Chapman, who have lost children. It's like every time I turn around I hear about somebody's baby passing away - whether it's a 2 1/2 -hour-old baby or a 26-year-old baby. It's depressing, but it's real. I know that God is in control and nothing that happens would come as a surprise to Him. I believe that there is no "Plan B" with God. But, if it really came down to it, would I be able to live out what I say I believe? Would I be able to live through it? I really don't know. I struggle terribly with thoughts about what I could've done to make things different. I could have done this, I should not have done that. Things would have been different IF... I believe that if something happened to my children or to Chris, those thoughts would eat me up inside.

I know these are thoughts from Satan. I know that he's trying to make me doubt my Savior and His sovereignty. But, it's hard. The other day I was doing my bible study "Motherwise" and the day's study was about fear. I have to keep repeating the scripture that was given: 2 Timothy 1:7 says "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Lord, help me to not be fearful. Help me not to be scared. Help me to know that the number of my days and the days of all the people I love have been known by you since the beginning of time. Help me to trust in you and to walk with you with a child-like faith. I don't have to understand everything about you, I don't have to know everything about you, I just have to remember that you love me. Help me to enjoy every moment that I have with my children, with my husband and my family. Thank you for the blessing that they are to me. I love you! xoxoxo

Bad doggie

This is what happens in our house when pets (or children) don't behave. Apparently "doggie" hit his mommy, so he got spanked and had to sit in the corner. My kids love imitating Chris and I - the good, the bad and the ugly. Shall I never forget that they're always watching... Even though they sometimes imitate the things that we don't want them to, every once in a while God lets us see that they pick up on the good things, too. This morning I was getting some clothes out of the dryer and I heard Ivey in my room praying. I tip-toed in there to see her because I thought she was probably standing in front of the mirror watching herself talk (her favorite hobby). But, she was on her knees in the corner of her room with her hands folded and her head laying on her hands. She was just talking to God. Among other things, I heard, "Thank you for my family. Help us to have good day. And I thank you for everything. Thank you for Jesus. Amen."

Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to see this precious moment between you and my daughter. May she always seek you and follow after you. May she never stop praising you, bringing glory to your name and laying her troubles at your feet. May she always trust in you. Lord, please take hold of her heart and never let go. Amen.

A few pics from our day at the lake

Papa and my cousin, David, play a game of horseshoes. David is in the Army, stationed in Louisiana. His battalion will be leaving for Iraq in the coming weeks for a 15-month deployment. Please keep them in your prayers.

Gavin pets the fish that Daddy caught.

Ivey finally gets comfortable swimming in the water. The water was freezing cold, but she swam like a fish!

Chris loves to horse around. Here he is attempting a front flip. He almost got all the way around!

Since I'm always the one chasing everyone down with the camera, there aren't many photos of me. So, I decided to take a picture of my flip-flops. I LOVE flip-flops!

Memorial Day Weekend

Ivey playing in the pool with Davis and Sam

Gavin doing his favorite thing, pushing a truck

Chris and his BFF, Stu

Last night kicked off our Memorial Day weekend of events. We went to a cookout last night with our Sunday School class. It was a great time of fellowship. The kids played well together and the parents got a chance to sit and relax. Today, we went to a neighborhood cookout/party after the kids got up from their naps (not really. Ivey stayed in her room but destroyed it and Gavin only slept about an hour and a half.) It was fun as well, but a little overwhelming for the kids because there were so many people there. Tomorrow we will be going to the lake house for the kids to swim and to, hopefully, have a relaxing day. In all the fun and fellowship, lest we not forget the true reason for Memorial Day. We appreciate our troops and the selfless way they have served, serve and will serve our country. Many of them have paid the ultimate sacrifice and we are thankful for that and we are thankful to their families who, unfortunately, celebrate Memorial Day every day. May God bless America again.

Race #2

Today I ran my second race - the Holly Springs Memorial 5K. I ran it in 30:50 which I thought was pretty good. The race was somewhat hilly, definitely not flat. Mom ran the race too and shaved three minutes off of her previous time. Way to go, Mom! Chris and the kids tried to get there in time to see us finish, but I was already through so we cheered Mom on as she came to the Finish line. We had a fun time and got in some good exercise, too. I've been preparing for the 10K coming up in July (what was I thinking??). Right now, it seems impossible but I know I can do it. I'm pretty sure it'll be a walk/run race for me but at least I'm going to give it a try!

Just like old times

When I was a kid I used to get ear infections quite frequently. I remember days and nights of crying and screaming because my ear hurt so badly. My mom would try to ease the pain with a heating pad or whatever, but I always ended up in the ER for some antibiotics. As I got older, I would tell my parents that my ear was hurting and we would automatically head to the ER - no questions asked. Well, the last ear infection I had was when I was a senior in high school. Until now... I've had 3 since January. My ears have been "itchy" the past few days and I was afraid that it was coming on. I woke up last night about 2 AM with my inner ear throbbing and tons of pressure. OUCH! I got out of bed and found some ibuprofen (and I'll admit that I had some amoxicillin left over from a previous diagnosis, so I popped one of those too). I hope this isn't going to be a recurring thing because ear infections really hurt!! But, I'd much rather it be me than one of my kids. Now I'm off to being mommy... even in the midst of an ear infection!

Praise the Lord!

We found out today that Morgan passed his CRCT test in Reading and in Mathematics. It is now a requirement for 5th graders to pass both portions of the test in order to advance to 6th grade. Morgan has struggled in both of these areas, but after two Reading classes each day and afterschool tutoring in Math and Reading twice a week - he seems to have pulled it off. He didn't pass by much, but at least he passed. We can breathe a big sigh of relief and can now think about what we need to do for next year. Needless to say his summer isn't going to be all fun and games. He will definitely have work to do each day to stay on top of things in Reading and Math. I guess I'll be making a trip to Barnes and Noble this week to buy some books and workbooks for the summer.

We're not giving up!

Today didn't go so well in the potty training world. Gavin had 3 accidents plus an incident of peeing on the floor after bathtime. If I could just stay in the house for a whole week, I think he could get it... but that's not likely to happen! He loves wearing underwear which is good, but he doesn't always tell me when he needs to go potty before he actually goes. Sometime he does tell me that he needs to go which is another step in the right direction. I tried taking him to the gym today with big boy pants on... big mistake! I put a piece of tape on his back that said "Please take me potty" and I told the worker to try to take him often. When I went to pick him up he was wearing the same clothes, so I thought he had stayed dry. Not exactly... he had gone pee in his pants but they didn't know it. The worker said, "I asked him if he needed to go and he said 'No'." Needless to say she doesn't have kids and doesn't understand the world of potty training. You don't ask a 2-year old if they need to go potty, you just take them! So, I think we'll try putting him in underwear at home and pull-ups when we have to go out until he gets better at going potty. But we're not giving up!!!

Getting closer

I'm hesitant to say that we are "potty training" Gavin. He has gotten the hang of going number one in the potty, but that's about it. Yesterday around 9:00 in the morning, he told me that he wanted to go pee in the potty. So I ran with it. After he successfully went potty, I put him in big boy underwear - Thomas the Train to be exact! He did so well! He only had one accident the whole day. Of course, we have to take him potty every 45 minutes so that's putting a little bit of a crunch in what we do. If we go out I just have to remember to take him to the bathroom before he has an accident. He's a little bit shy of the adult potties. I think he's afraid he may fall in. I'm not sure if this is the end of diapers or not, but we're getting closer. YEAH!!!

Happy 7th Anniversary to US!

Today is my and Chris' 7th anniversary. Seven years just seem to have flown by.

Seven things we've done in seven years:

1. Bought/sold our first home and then bought our second home

2. Bought/sold/traded 6 cars - now we're sticking with what we have!

3. Given birth to two children

4. Quit Jen's job to be a stay-at-home mom/ Chris started a successful business

5. Gained 74 pounds (collectively) and lost 70 pounds (collectively)

6. Found a new hobby in running - ran a half-marathon and 3 5-K's

7. Prayed more, cried more and laughed more than we have in our entire lives

The past seven years have been awesome and I look forward to many more! I love you, Honey!

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Happy 30th Birthday to Me! Wow, I can't believe I'm 30! I remember thinking as a kid that 30 was old - it isn't!! I went out to dinner with my mom the other night and I asked her how it felt for me (the youngest) to be turning 30. She said, "It doesn't really feel any different. I think I'll really feel old when my children turn 50." I agree!

Last night, Morgan, Chris and I went to the Braves game. It was freezing!! The temp was about 60 degrees and the wind was blowing. We had to go buy sweatshirts by the 2nd inning because there was no way we would have made it to the 9th. We ended up leaving in the 7th because we were so cold. The whole point of us going on Friday night was to see the fireworks after the game, but we didn't get to see them this time. We are heading up to the lake house today to spend the day - hopefully it'll be relaxing. Tomorrow is my and Chris' 7th anniversary. This week has been a big week for us - Mother's Day, my birthday and our anniversary. Whew! Now I'm ready for the beach!!

Exciting times

Ivey and Gavin went down to the basement and then came up a few mintues later to get some baskets. I followed them back downstairs to see what they were up to. They were catching lady bugs...dead ones. Back in the fall, when ladybugs mate we were inundated with ladybugs - ladybugs were everywhere, especially in our basement!! Ivey and Gavin were having a great time picking them up and putting them in their baskets, so I just left them alone. To each his own, I guess!

For lunch I made hotdogs with cheese and BBQ sauce. This has been one of my favorite meals since I was a kid and was one of our dinner staples right after Chris and I got married. I remember the first time I made them. I had a cookbook for kids when I was little and decided that I wanted to make dinner for the family one night. Hotdogs with cheese was one of the recipes. To my family's surprise, it was actually pretty tasty. You just slice the hotdogs lengthwise, tuck in some cheddar cheese and pour a little bit of BBQ sauce on top. Broil them in the oven until the cheese melts and your done! YUM!!

Push...Pull...

I took this picture this evening while we were outside playing. Well, the kids were playing with Daddy while I sat, watched and worked on a gift for someone. Morgan was at the basketball court so that's why he isn't in the picture. I thought it was funny and ran inside to grab the camera.

Honey, I think you're too big for a ride in the wagon anymore... some people just never grow up!

I love "good" days

Today was what I would consider to be a good day. Even though I woke up long before I was ready to, I was able to start out my day on the right foot - having my quiet time with my Lord. Yesterday, I was in a little bit of a bad mood (for reasons that I haven't quite even figured out myself). So, this morning after I got up, I found my bible and my bible study book along with a pen laying on my bed - the doings of my husband. He knows that when I'm in a bad mood, it's usually because I need to spend time in the Word. So, I just smiled, chuckled to myself and appreciated the thoughtfulness. I continued reading in Psalms which is where I am right now and then did Day 5 of my bible study - Wisdom for Mothers. After that, we woke the kids up, dressed them and I waited for a little while before heading to the gym for my normal Monday morning class. After the gym, a friend of mine brought her daughter over because she and her husband are trying to work on his parents' house that was hit by a tornado this weekend. The kids playing together well. After doing a little refereeing and explaining the house rules, everything was fine. I actually even got a little bit of organizing done. Chris brought me lunch home, so after the kids went down for rest time we ate lunch together. After Chris got home from work, I headed back to the gym to run 3 miles with my friend, Kelli. She is an avid runner and I was able to sweet-talk her into training me for the Peachtree Road Race. And let me tell you - there is HUGE difference in running on a treadmill and running on the street - whew! Kelli is very encouraging and doesn't mind holding back for me. I know that it's not that great of a workout for her - but I'm usually dying by the end. She keeps me going by talking to me most of the time which helps me to keep my mind off of what I'm going. My new treat after running is getting a red Gatorade at the curbstore on the way back to the gym. Anyway, later on, Chris cooked dinner and the evening was spent playing, cross-stitching and making Rice Krispy treats. Nothing to exciting...just a good day!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to you, Mom!! And to all of my friends and family who are moms, too!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!