He is Risen!

When you explain things to children, do they become that much more apparent to you? On Good Friday, we read the story of Judas' betrayal. And then the story of Peter's betrayal. And then I tried to explain to the children how we betray the Lord's love and trust every day. But Christ never did. What huge concepts for little minds to grasp! As I tried to explain these things simply, I was just overwhelmed by the true nature of God's sacrifice for us. I held my tiny new baby and realized that God turned His face from His Son and allowed Him to die, not for His own punishment, but for mine. And this tiny new baby's. I can't fathom that kind of love.

But then, miracle of all miracles- Christ did not stay dead. He rose and is risen. And He lives, seated at the right hand of the Father. He died for me and continues to intercede on my behalf. These are the things we think of when we realize we are not worthy.

Holidays' stressfulness seems to trump the quiet moments where we can reflect on how amazing our Lord is. Yesterday was no exception. Two family get-togethers, helping with the toddlers at Sunday School, cooking, baking, cleaning, parenting...

Thankfully, (!) I am still getting very quiet moments in the wee hours of the morning for reading my Bible and praying and thinking. It is fragmented and a little sleepy, but I am so glad God provides this quiet time for me. I don't get it during the rest of the day. When Chase starts sleeping through the night, I am going to have to dig deep to find some self-discipline to continue to find comparable quiet time.
Even though Easter was hectic, it was still lovely to spend the day with my sweet family.
And my handsome husband, still the person I would rather be around more than anyone else.

This one has been home from school for a whole week. It has been really nice to have him around. This picture is from the day of his Festival of Spring. I tried to dress him doctorly.

He is Risen!

He is risen, indeed!

And, as my dear Aussie friend was carefully explaining to her children, we celebrate by...

hunting eggs?

Hmm.

Australians, it seems, do not hunt for Easter eggs at Easter. We hunt for eggs but don't know why. We don't even know where this tradition comes from! So resolved: next year we will start some meaningful Easter tradition. Stay posted.

Anyway.
Holidays are exhausting. Celebrating a holiday with two separate families is physically taxing. I suppose it is much better than sitting around, twiddling our thumbs, wishing we had family to celebrate with us. Our day was surely not boring. I was asked a question on my BSF lesson a few weeks ago, and I have been mulling it over ever since:

"Where do you feel the least authentic in your relationship with Christ?"

I think my answer is: church.

Allow me to explain: While I am at church, I am worried about the Sunday School lesson we will be teaching, I am worried about making sure I get to say hello to all of my friends, I am worried about not spilling anything myself the one day I actually dress up during the week, I am worried about losing one of my children, I am worried about one of said children doing something that completely embarrasses me...

You see what I mean?

But when I am at home, or going about my daily life, I see how completely I need my Lord. Things happen every day that make me feel humbled, inadequate, or in need of grace and mercy. As a caveat, once the sermon starts at church, I can settle down and learn and be fed. It is all the other busyness of the day that drains authenticity.

So this Easter, I was thanking God yet again that He died for a sinner like me. It looks fine on the outside, but oh, is it inadequate on the inside! The hope is not in self or others, but in Christ Jesus.

3 December Posts, Baby!

Christmas 2010.

We had four last year, now we have five. The kids are getting more verbal and independent. I feel older. Beau feels older. He thinks his body is working against him. This, apparently, is a new feeling for the man. Myself, I have been pregnant multiple times and am thankful to the Lord whenever my body has a good day. Can I get an "amen"?

Rebecca got a LeapPad for Christmas. It has a pen that "reads" and asks questions to her. One of the questions was, "What is your favorite animal?"

The answer? "Heffalumps".

Of course.

Are you in my stage in life? Do you have older and wiser women regularly tell you that this is the best time in life with your children? It used to annoy me, I heard it so often. But I am thankful for this reminder. I can see how this is the best time in life with these little treasures (that often make me want to shut myself in a dark, soundproof room). One is napping, two are playing quietly with new, old-fashioned, uncomplicated toys. The house is getting clean on my slow schedule (with time out to blog, finally!). We don't worry about school, lessons, classes, friend problems, emotional outbursts. Christmas was magical and simple. We all eat meals together. We talk about all sorts of little things all day. We try to work as a team. I love this time. It is physically draining but emotionally fulfilling. God is good, to bring this formerly self-absorbed sinner into a new life with Him, and into motherhood. It is not what I planned for my life, but His ways are so much better than ours, no? PS- I am still self-absorbed. I just can't indulge that all the time like I used to....

I love to mother, to cook, to clean, to craft, to keep the home, to be with my family. I pray the Lord has this little simple bubble of a time period for me as long as possible. I can't think of anything more lovely. I hope I can be as genuine and loving as possible when I one day walk past a disheveled, exhausted young mother and quietly share with her how precious and fleeting this time is for her.

A Few Pictures of the Season Thus Far..

At the pumpkin patch...
All 9 cousins at little Mattie Grace's 4th birthday...
A forlorn Tigger...
Halloween costume a la Rebecca Sky...
Happily trolling for pumpkins with Daddy....


More to come. BSF is keeping us pretty busy during the week. It is also the season of baby showers and other fun things. I want to blog, but it has to be close to last on my priority list, unfortunately. How are you doing?

Easter Preparations

The grandparents came over to dye eggs with us! Carolyn was here, too..lots of fun! The messier the workspace, the better the end result. Really.
Here is our lovely hodgepodge of Easter eggs.
And the surprise romantic gesture from my husband last night. They smell amazing! He grows them and picks them, just for me :)

Pictures from the Season

I will take the risk of bombarding you with pictures from the last few weeks. Thanks for coming along for the ride :) On December 20th, our church had our annual Christmas service with breakfast from Hodel's after service. The kids wore their Christmas outfits and stayed clean for almost two full hours!
Later that night, we headed over to Beau's brother's home for Christmas with all of the cousins. My sister-in-law made a fantastic Chicken a la King for dinner, and then we all opened presents.
The kids opted for pizza over chicken.
Rebecca received a baby doll that evening, and the next morning, she entertained herself by bathing that baby for almost an hour while I cleaned the house.
We spent Christmas morning with Jessie, opening presents, making cinnamon rolls and bacon and eggs and orange juice...the best part of our Christmas tradition, says the pregnant lady.
I love that Beau and Jessie have the same look on their faces in these pictures...Really? For me?
Beau finally got an iPhone. The two of them have been inseparable ever since they met. I am a bit jealous.
Check out what my dear sister got for the children. A giant gumball machine. Awesome.
We celebrated the birth of our Savior with dinner, joined by my mom and dad and our friends, the Carpenters.

Rebecca got a baby playset....after setting up the pack n play, she settled inside and said, "Look! I fit!"

Saturday, we spent some time with our cousins. We braved the cold and dark afternoon to play outside. The children have to get their wiggles out, after all!
Reese and Jackson found a boogie board and invented concrete-boarding.
They got Daddy/Uncle Beau in on the action.
It was a fun way to spend an hour.

And after, Rebecca warmed back up inside her favorite new toy.

The "Mother of Young-uns" Pumpkin Patch

I love the pumpkin patch. I love fall. I love dressing warmly and taking fun pictures and stopping by Starbucks for a warm drink on the way home.

But I am pregnant. And I have two Preschoolers. And there was no time this year. But there is always next year (If, as our sweet elderly friend used to say, "The good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise).

Anyway,

We went to Target to get our pumpkins and our carving kit. A savvy mommy might put some thought into this plan...brand new Target....two days before Halloween...maybe not. Target did not have what we needed. But we had a lot of fun getting a few things we did not need.

So we trekked to Vons, where I was certain I had recently seen bins and bins of lovely pumpkins for sale.

No bins.

We ventured inside the store and found the produce guy. Said produce guy led us to the measly selection of GIANT, HEAVY pumpkins and we picked one out. I did not think I wanted to spend $9.00 on each giant pumpkin, so I asked about the price of the smallish white pumpkins.

Kind produce guy said, "I'm not sure, but if I don't sell them, we have to trash them. You can have it for three dollars."

Yahoo!

With the pumpkins and a cheap (the knife broke after one pumpkin) carving kit, I spent about $18.00 on pumpkin paraphernalia. It really made me miss the pumpkin patch.

But we did get some pictures!
Is there anything better than seeing a moment between father and child? Jackson was so happy to be helping his Daddy. Tongue picture #1

Tongue picture #2Tongue picture #3

I hear it is easier to lift pumpkins if you stick your tongue out.

Happy Halloween!

My mother was, and is, an elementary school teacher. We celebrated each holiday at home, no matter how big or how insignificant. Therefore, I love Halloween. It kicks off the most festive, exciting, fun-and-family-filled season of the year. In the coming weeks, we celebrate birthdays and holidays.

One of the things we love to do this time of year is to design our own pumpkins and color them. You can do this, too! Go to our favorite learning site, Starfall. This links to a short, fun activity where your child can pick shapes to decorate his or her pumpkin. "Turkey in the Straw" is played as your pumpkin does a little dance, and then you can print your creation to color!

Happy Halloween!

It's here!

Welcome, fall!
It is so good to see you...
We have been waiting for a long time...
To wear pants, sweaters, and socks...
To celebrate birthdays, holidays, and God's bountiful blessings...
It is our favorite time of the whole year.

Easter Journal

Easter was a time of resting in God's grace and goodness. The worship at our church service seemed cleansing, full of rejoicing and gratefulness. It was good for my soul to glorify God in fellowship with my church family. The weeks have been draining. We have been tired with so many things going on, but we got to spend time with family and friends this past Sunday. And that was nice. Our friends, the McKays, joined us for Easter lunch, along with my parents and Jessie. We had turkey and gravy and mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes and...ooh, I am still digesting that meal! We had an Easter egg hunt with Jackson and Chloe and Levi. Then after a short rest, we packed up and left for the Woodwards, where we got a second whole dinner! And another Easter egg hunt. And just like that, the day was over. : )




I can't get that second picture off.. good thing he is so cute : )

December

I just looked at my calendar and saw that there are only 10 days until Christmas!

I believed in Santa Claus until eighth- yes, you read that right- grade. Eighth grade was also the year I stopped playing with Barbies after my two younger sisters made fun of me. There was a reason I believed in Santa so long. My parents are rather frugal and Santa always got us what we asked for! We would excitedly open our Santa gift and exclaim, "Mom would never buy me this! There must be a Santa!" My parents would buy us socks and hair clips and smaller, practical, not-exciting-at-all gifts. They surely would not spring for a CD player or a bicycle. Santa was real.

Believing in Santa for so long only intensified my love of the Christmas season. I would scour catalogs and dream and wish for exciting presents. I loved baking with my mom and watching Christmas movies for the entire month of December. When school finally let out before Christmas, I was probably unbearable to live with.

But then Christmas morning would come, the afternoon would drag on, and night would finally settle on our home. I vividly remember lying on my bed and feeling overwhelmingly sad. Why? I had all of my presents. I spent the day with friends and family and ate wonderful food. And now it was over! Year after year, I allowed the hype to eat away at my soul. I was consumed with want. When the highly anticipated day had come and gone, I was left, every time, feeling completely empty. I had put my hope in something temporary and I was so disappointed now that the hope had left me. What else was there?

I now get excited about the holidays, but I realize that for many people, Christmas is just a reminder of a hope deferred. Perhaps someone has lost a spouse, or child, or dream. Christmas is just a reminder of what they do not have, or who they do not have to share it with. What a sad thought.

As a Christian, however, God has revealed to me why I was trying to fill this void in me with something else. Jesus Christ is the only One that can fill that void. Instead of being hyper-excited, or melancholy about things I cannot change, I am learning to be filled with the joy of the Lord. My hope is not in things or events of this world. I have the hope of the Resurrection and of heaven. My hope lies in eternity with my Savior.

The world's Christmas can leave one feeling empty. True Christmas means that a just and holy God chose to give fallen mankind Grace when we least deserved it. He sent His perfect, holy, and only Son to this world to humbly live and die so that I could have the hope of eternal life. Glorious grace! Undeserved grace! Santa Claus,, the story benevolent spirit giving gifts to children he wants to give gifts to, mirrors the Great Story. It is the world's hollow, shallow attempt to fill the void God has left in all of mankind for Himself to fill.

This year, and every year forward, I thank the Lord for the excitement, family togetherness, and love that the Christmas season brings. I pray that I would praise Him during this happy Christmas season and also during the Christmas seasons in my life that are not as joyous as this one is. He is faithful. He is just and the one who justifies. I look to Him for my fulfillment today, tomorrow, and forever. To God be the glory!

Holiday Temptations

While we were sitting in church yesterday Chad was rounding out a 6 sermon teaching on the reality that all Christians are justified before God, by faith in God, and faith alone. These last two weeks have hit me hard and I have been repeatedly convicted of sin. I was astonished that I felt so convicted when the whole point Chad made in these two sermons revolved around God's gracious outpouring of mercy upon those who simply believe in Him - and by believing, trust in Him. Even more humbling to me is the reality of Ephesians 2:8-9, that faith is a gift from God. It amazes me how an undeserved mercy and/or kindness strips me of pride and reveals the true state of my wicked heart. You can listen to either of Chad's sermons by following this link and clicking on "Resources" then "Sermons". As I was listening to Chad preach I read ahead until I came across the verses below.

Romans 6: 12-14 "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."

Do I want to be an instrtument of righteousness in the hands of God? Do I find freedom from sin in the gracious gift of God's son Jesus Christ? I must be honest, there are times when I feel overwhelmed by my failings, my selfishness, and my prideful attempts to justify my behavior. At those times it is important for me to clarify this lost feeling of helplessness: is it a healthy feeling of conviction brought about by the Holy Spirit, leading me towards true repentence; or is it the sinister temptation to not trust in the immensity of God's overwhelming mercy and grace?

In this wild and crazy holiday season of fellowship, traveling, giving, and receiving, there are many opportunities for temptations and it can often be difficult to keep a proper perspective on the reason for all of the celebration. Throughout this season I often struggle to maintain a good attitude, to be thankful and content, patient and kind. I often covet and lust after other things, or justify my behavior or focus on others faults while ignoring my own. However, this is all wrong behavior and only serves to tighten the shakles of sin and slavery in my heart.

Thankfully, God has given us armor to protect against temptations and a sword of truth to counterattack. In light of Psalms 119:9-11, which teaches us that we should combat sin through the memorization of scripture, I felt compelled to begin memorizing Romans 6:12-14. The process is still ongoing, but I have been thankful to see God's grace extended towards me through Chad's preaching, the Holy Spirits conviction, God's Word, and the encouragement found in the Christmas season. For truly truly God is love...

John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

1 John 4:9-11 "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Thanksgiving

I am sure we will end up adding another post in the next two days or so - recapping our Thanksgiving holidays complete with pictures and a brief recap of family festivities and USC's victory over ASU! So I will try to keep this one short.

It has been a challenging year in our home. Aside from raising Jackson (who is now 20 months old), Rebecca was born on July 2nd, I left Charles Schwab and took a position with Wells Fargo Investments on June 29th, we moved into a new home on March 23rd, and we have been actively involved in a young church plant which had its first Sunday service back on January 21st! Sheesh, I get tired just typing that out.

Basically, we have alot to be thankful for. Each of these major events have held some significant trials; and there have been a few other issues that have complicated life throughout the year as well. But God, who is rich in mercy and love, has been abundantly faithful to carry us through everyday of the year, and every trial in our path. I can honestly confess that we have not handled one single thing perfectly, and yet despite my pride and selfishness, God has blessed us with a roof over our head, (mostly) healthy children, improved relationships with our extended families, loving friends, a good job, and a Christ centered Bible preaching church which is continually growing in faith and fellowship.

I do not know how we survive. I would never plan a year to include so much change and trial. I have both experienced and witnessed the great temptation within trials to be prideful and selfish - to fain humility and brokenness, to hide behind a single point of Scripture ignoring the log in my own eye, and to write off any advice from someone simply because they are not perfect. It is a sad thing to lie to one's self and it can be difficult to recognize and overcome. that is why I am thankful this year for three things in particular.

First, I am thankful to the Lord for He has graciously convicted my heart and supplied for my every need. Secondly I am thankful for the loving family God has blessed me with. My wife Jennifer who encourages and exhorts me in my spiritual walk and at the same time takes care of our home and our children. My Children who are both humbling and sobering as they are in our care. My brothers and parents who God uses to continually sharpen me. And Thirdly, I am thankful for my friends, who hold me accountable and encourage me to be a better husband, father, and friend.

Ephesians 3:20-21 "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever, Amen."

Halloween

Both my parents were in education for the entire time I lived with them. Every holiday was celebrated at our home, and I have taken the love of all things celebratory to my own family. Yesterday we dressed the kids up and took them over to our parents' homes to beg for candy from the neighbors. It was so enjoyable to watch Jackson trotting from home to home with his little treat bag! My sister Jackie sent us fatigues from Fort Lewis and Jackson loved wearing his jacket (but not the cap). Rebecca wore some sort of ballet/cheetah dress. We're not sure what it was exactly, but we think she looked pretty darn cute. Alas, our days of dressing up are probably over, but we are comfortable with that.