What is your testimony?

Last week I gave a devotion at an Upwards basketball game (so cute to watch by the way). As I was preparing to say, God put something on my heart, something I really wasn't in the mood to talk about. Joy. I have been really trying to choose joy over saddness. Last week marked two months and I guess the adrinalin of everything has worn off and the reality has set in. The "have to live everyday without my mom" has set in. I was talking to someone today and I was saying how I have to have a new idenity, and that all of my insecurities are coming back. I don't have that "if everyone in the world turns their back on me, I still have my mom" in my life anymore. That makes me feel so alone. It makes me want to give up, throw in the towel and say no more! But...I am trying to choose joy,
choose life,
choose smiling when I want to cry
choose getting up, making my bed and face the day
because I KNOW that I am loved by a God who is with me now, tomorrow and is the same the whole time. So I choose joy, to honor God by being a living testimony to Him. By shining His love, grace to others. Please pray for me. I love you all and appreciate this venue to share my heart, I hope you don't mind.

My friend Mandi had this on her blog and it really stirred me, I hope you enjoy it. My cardboard would read:

Couldn't trust God
Living in peace through His perfect will

copy and paste in your address bar: (couldn't get the link to work)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ&feature=related

I have been tagged

David's wonderful aunt..who happens to now be one of my dear friends :)...tagged me. You are supposed to go to your fourth folder you keep your pics in, and find the fourth photo and talk about it. Soo......

I love this photo, Kaitlyn was less than an hour old..look at those cheeks! When I first looked at her, I thought..didn't I do give birth to this baby before?! Kaitlyn looked exactly like her brother, in fact our peditrician always comments how they look alike. This was a wonderful moment, a moment I will remember forever, the moment I looked into my daughter's eyes and knew we would have such a special mother/daughter relationship. I had always wanted a girl, to dress up, to love, to talk with, and I got her. I look at her every day and can't believe she is mine. I am so glad to be a mommy of a girl! I love this girl, in fact in a couple of weeks I get to post about my nine month old. I had to take her into the doctor b/c she had some pimples and I wanted the Dr. to look at it, and she weighed 18 pounds already. How time flies!

Okay, now I am to tag four friends. I tag Molly, Leanne, Krystal and Carri. Remember, go to your fourth folder and choose your fourth folder. Love to you all!!!

Change is going on in our house!``

Hello friends, well I have some big news...no I am not pregnant (hopefully we are done with that), after ten years at the same company, David gave his resignation yeseterday! He has been an auditor with Deloitte and Touche and has made it up all the way to senior manager. We have been praying what to do about his job. He was asked if we wanted to move to Houston since he was working on a client down there, to eventually become partner, but we didn't think the timing was right. I am glad we didn't b/c it was right before mom got sick. So we kept praying that we would know what to do, and one day a person from BOK called and said that there is a job opening and would he like to come in for an interview. See, the CFO is a good friend of ours at our church and was curious to see if David would be interested. He sent his resume in just out of curiosity, and three months, three interviews later..here we are! David is now an employee at BOK. We are excited about this move, but it is change, and change is always hard, but God has had His hand in it the whole time, so we know it is from Him, and He will direct our paths. Please pray for us as we do make this transition, and pray for David as he leaves friends and coworkers that he has known for 10 years and starts out in something completely new.

I do want to take this time to brag on my husband...David Allen Stephens (who just turned 33 last week..we are the same age for 5 months!) is the most hard-working, dedicated man I know. He wakes up at 5:00 so I can be at work at 6:30, so he can be home by 7:00 to see his family. When he is faced with a challenge, he rises to the occasion and meets it head on. When he works for you expect 100%, because that is what you are going to get, no middle ground for him. After working all day, he comes home and helps out at home. Daddy is king at our house, Kaitlyn glows when he walks in the room and the first thing out of Andrew's mouth every day is where is Daddy. He also is a wonderful husband, and my best friend. I love him more than life itself and don't know where I would be without him. Most importantly, He loves His God and serves Him daily. He is a walking testimony of trusting Him with all things and knowing that He is going to meet us right where are, we just have to be still and know he is coming. David is a quiet man, but when you get him alone, he is hysterical. I am so proud of him and all he has worked for, and it is my biggest blessing in life to be called Mrs. David Stephens.

A year in review

This is a picture year in review of our home! Hope you enjoy, take care! Be sure and pause my music before you open the link!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Just saying hi!

Just wanted to say hello and say that the first 4 days of 2009 have gone well. My dad is officially moved in, and it is going well, I think that it is helping him with people around, especially Andrew who is his biggest fan! I just hope he doesn't smother him too much..it gets rowdy around here! I am glad he is here, I think that this is going to be a good transisiton until he gets into his own place. I love him so much! Yeah Daddy! (I truly am daddy's little girl).

Other notes, I have decided that instead of resolutions, I am going to do goals. I was leary of sharing them, but my friend Krystal inspired me, so you can help stay focused and on track.

1. I am going to choose JOY!!! "This day I put on the garment of praise in exchange for the spirit of heaviness, and I glorify You as Lord of all." (Thank you Tracy!)

2. I am going to follow my routines! If you don't know FlyLady, click on her link..I love her, she helps me stay out of CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)

3. Memorize scripture, by taking time for God each day. I love my God and I believe that He has taken me down these paths to draw me closer to him, b/c without Him I would be a crumbling, mound of crying mess. I need to be close to Him so I can survive, He is my lifeline!

4. Focusing each day to be the wife, mommy, friend and daughter (in-law) that GOD wants me to be, not what the world is telling me I should be.

As I am looking back on these, they are all intwined. I can't follow my routines, without focusing on being a good mommy and wife and I can't do that without focusing on God and I can't find joy if everything else isn't done.

So, that is it in a nutshell! BTW, we have a mover on our hands, just tonight my little angel realized she can roll from one place to another to get somewhere...a whole new world!

Love to you all!

Happy New Year

Well, we are almost there..almost in 2009. What a difference a year makes...

...i am entering a year the mother of two for the first time
...i am entering a year the owner of a mini van for the first time
...i am entering a year after having my tenth college reunion
...i am entering a year where my husband and I will celebrating 10 years of marriage
...i am entering a year a daughter with no mother

BUT, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT NEVER CHANGES....

....i am entering a year the daughter of a king, a child of the most high, and I know that no matter what happens this year, God will be next to me, holding my hand and watching me every step of the way.

I moved my dad out and he will be staying with us for a while until he gets into his new place. Never again will I call their number, a number I called every day (3-4 times) for four years. Never again will I go to their place where Andrew danced with her and painted rocks, ate cookies and watched TV. I miss her so much, and leaving the place with all those memories is almost like mourning all over again. So today, I visited the pit a little. My best friend asked me last night if I was surviving and if I was okay. Yes and yes/no. I get up, I feed and take care of my kids, I laugh at something at TV, I kiss my husband, I pray to my God, and am thankful for ALL my blessings, but inside I am sad b/c my best friend is gone. But just like scripture says, joy does come in the morning and right now, I am going to cling to God and trust like no other time, and will wait expectantly to see the glorious plan He has for my life, my dad's, my husband's, my son's and my daughter's.

Happy New Year loved ones, can't wait for new year of memories and love!

Merry Christmas to one and to all....

...an a blessing to each and every one of you! I love you all and hope and pray that this season reminds us that a little baby was born over 2000 years ago for us. He was God's Son, His precious Son and He sent Him to earth.

Our Lord and Savior had been there from the beginning, but chose to leave and humble Himself to human form to save us:

John 1: 1-3:

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Yet, He came down from Heaven so that we could be saved and become children of God.

John 1:12

12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

His ENTIRE purpose of being born, of living and especially of dying is because God loved us so much that He did not want us to be seperated from Him any more, He wanted a relationship with us, He wanted us to live knowing that we were never alone, that He is always with us, looking down on us and guiding us in His perfect will. This was His plan 2000 years ago and this is His plan 2000 years later. Remember friends, this was an event that happened a long time ago in a far away place, but it is something that can be remembered and held close to our heart every single day.

I write all of this to encourage you, to live 2009 for Him. I have been running from Him for the past 2 years because I was afraid of what would happen, and the worst happened, and guess what..HE WAS THERE FOR ME. I even told Him at one point I will not serve you anymore if you take my mom, but when it came down to it, that thought TERRIFIED me. Living my life without my God? Not possible. So if you are down, scared and alone this Christmas, He is there. He is there to hold your hand, to cry with you and to love you no matter what, I am living testimony to that.

Deuteronomy 31:8

8 "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

I hope that I am not coming off preachy, that is not my intention at all, it is to be encouraging, to point you to the Savior, our only source of love, hope and future.

Merry Christmas loved ones, I truly love you all and am so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for your love and encouragement this past month. I know that when I am down again I will need it, and I know that you will be there. I pray blessings upon you and your families this wonderful holiday season! I am ending with some pictures of my kids we took for our Christmas card...guess who didn't smile, and she ALWAYS smiles. Oh well, Murphy's Law..right!!!

Over here kids! :)

One smiling..one ready to stop



Really ready to stop!



Merry Christmas from the Stephens!