Pay it forward

Okey dokey, I have seen this around and since my love language is gifts and words of affermation, I am excited to do this.

I will send a hand made gift to the first three people who leave a comment on this post requesting to join the PIF exchange. All the gifts will be made and sent out sometime soon within the year. How exciting to not know when your surprise package will arrive. What you need to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. This exchange is only open to those with active websites or blogs. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PROMISE TO POST THIS SAME 'PAY IT FORWARD' MESSAGE ON YOUR BLOG, WHICH MUST BE ACTIVE IN ORDER TO PLAY. YOU WILL PAY IT FORWARD TO THREE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG. Recap: The first three people who comment, commit to the PIF thing. The gifts are supposed to be hand made. I know a lot of you are probably thinking that you can't get in on it because you aren't "crafty" enough. If you really want in on it but don't find yourself crafty enough, I am sure it would be okay to support someone you know that has a handmade crafty kind of business. Buy a gift from them.

Got it?

So hurry and be one of the top 3 so you can get a "sussie"

I am so excited to pass this on to my blogging friends! Take care and have a blessed day!

Lovin' this weather!

This week was Spring Break and although I am not teaching anymore, and the kids aren't in school full time I thought it wouldn't be any big deal. But not having to wake up two mornings this week and have to go somewhere has been a nice break!

Thankfully the first three days were beautiful and we have spent A LOT of time outside! We have some wonderful neighbors on either side and across the street that all have kids. The neighbors to the left of us, the mom and have become very close. We are the same age, but her kids are older than mine. In fact when we moved in, her youngest was younger than Andrew is now. That is hard to believe. The neighbors on the right have a son who just turned three, and a baby six weeks younger than Kaitlyn. We also have kids the same age as Andrew across the street, so we all where outside playing the other day and had a blast. Andrew began riding his big boy bike he got from Santa and went so far and had so fun. At first he was going slow, but by the end was really going fast...now we just need to learn to steer!! :)

Andrew had is four year check-up and Kaitlyn had her nine month check-up..a little late. Andrew is right on track, took his hearing and vision tests and did great. He had to get four shots...and that was hard on me. He hadn't one where he was old enough to know what was going on, and he just was crying and asking to go home...it was hard on me. He did not let me take the band-aids off, they had to fall off and wouldn't sit in the tub until they did...drama--wonder where he gets it. Kaitlyn got two shots, but the Dr. is slightly concerned that she is not crawling or pulling up so we are going to have Sooner Start out to evaluate her. I am sure that it is nothing, but everyone knows Satan and the things he can do. I had a wonderful Bible Study the other night though and was encouraged and loved.

Here are some pics of us enjoying the great outdoors, hope everything is going well, love to you all!

My precious angel!!

Jordan, Michael and Andrew playing football

Where did all the time go? Oh, BTW, I know that he does not have his helmet on, but it got too small from when we first bought it...and I was next to him the whole time.

She loved watching her big brother!

Playing golf at Grammy's

Here is a video of my little rider!

Where joy and sorrow meet

I wish I had come up with this phrase, but my good friend Molly was thinking of a song that they sing in Singing Churchwomen. This describes what some precious friends have been going through lately.


This past week I had some friends bring home a baby girl, but bury a baby boy. sorrow I had some friends have a baby boy and baby girl JOY I had some sick kids on my hands sorrow They are now feeling better JOY I miss talking to my mom horribly sorrow She is in heaven and always here for me to talk to JOY Our friends burried their seven year old son sorrow They are finding God in all aspects JOY I just read on a "blogger friend" blog that a baby she had planned and loved and waited to adopt, the birth mom decided to keep her baby. sorrow Wonderful study on Fireproof the movie and One on One. JOY



And all of that has been this past week! The Bible is full of verses that talk about joy and sorrow.



Romans 11:12-13 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.



1 Thessalonians 16-17 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.



What does this mean, is this "Just life"? Yes and no. Yes, things like this happen in life, but as Christians our sorrow doesn't define us. The scripture speaks about finding God's will in the sorrow, keep praying and allow God's joy to overcome you. We can know that God is love, He loves us, and that is where we find our joy. I know I have blogged about this a lot lately, but I feel so heavy for friends that are being afflicted. We need to pray for one another, love one another and encourage one another.



And bottom line, know that without a doubt God will overcome and in our sorrow, he will meet us with His joy.



My biggest source of joy: