Multitude Monday Strikes again!

Even in the frigid temps- we are thankful for many blessings.
Happy last week of January :)

551- Thankful for no school today and tomorrow for Harrison: too cold!

552- Thankful for spiritual role models
553- Thankful for Dustin's upcoming baptism in 2 weeks
554- Thankful for my in laws surprising our kids and coming here in 2 weeks
555- Thankful for a caring husband....
556 ... who surprised me with Aveda stuff!! Hannah got the curly products and I got the  blue malva line... love love love fancy hair products :)
557 Thankful for a helpful uncle who got his dealership to support Harrison's Souper Bowl Canned Food Drive.... 312 cans later :)
558 Thankful for Hudson's ENT appt in 2 days. Looking forward to hearing about how to solve the ranula issue
559 Thankful for Hannah's bursts of energy throughout the day and her musically inclined self to sing Jesus Loves Me in every store
560- Thankful for the things we take for granted every day... electricity...heat...heat in our car... hot showers...warm filling meals... in our frigid blasts- we really feel for the homeless... and pray that they get filled with an everlasting warmth...











Prayer Warriors Unite for our little friend Browyn.... follow her story here :http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/browyncoleman
Pray for her family tonight. In a very very special way. XO

540-550

Thankful this week for:  540-Mimi arriving home safely from a week in the Mexican sun! She is so dark!

 541- "cuggles" with Mimi

 542- Best way to beat the winter blues- Mommy Daughter Pedi date! Sweet little thing can't even reach the water in the pedi tub! This nail place- Annabelle's Nails- is our new fave spot. The guy who did her nails was a grampa, and was so sweet & gentle. While she was waiting for my mani to dry, the lady went next door and got her pink ice cream. Seriously pampered :)

 543: Matchy matchy toes :)

 544: Hudson's bedding arrived!

 545- Hudson's play space - best- safest way to let him have freedom.

 546- Matchy matchy brothers :) Excited to discover Oshkosh's website has big boy sizes for Harrison!

 547- Heart nails

 548: Naps during Sunday church

 549: Motivation

550: 1st Game!

And one of the best things that happened this week were two answered prayers....super personal, but I hope it can be an encouragement to keep praying no matter what you are going through. "100% of the prayers we dont pray wont get answered" Mark Batterson
 My brother is meeting with our leaders at church to talk about baptism ( Sunday: Dustin and a guy from church were talking about his desire for baptism... but Dustin was like " I need billboards from God" " I need big signs". Ministry came- Matt got up, had NO idea that Dustin just had that conversation, but baptism was on his heart! Dustin was like - There's my sign! God is SO good with His timing and His Plan!) Another answer from prayer was a simple project I had a heart to do for our Hall- with an updated prayer board.... Matt & I have been collecting recent pic of missionary families etc for our home & hall - praying when you can visualize the family helps me :)- so I have been working on this. Sunday- someone came up to me and asked if there would be any chance I would be up for the task of updating the prayer board. Really!?!?! Matt & I were blown away. We need these encouraging moments in our life right now. It seems that God is really "back paying" for some famine that we have gone through and we are so so so excited to see God work.  I hope this encourages you as well- even if you are in a famine right now- God is right there.
XO

530-540 "I will sing unto the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously!" Ex 15: 1

Happy Multitude Monday!
We are getting closer to one of my fave holidays...Valentine's Day!! The pink! The Hearts! What's not to just adore?! :)


530: Thankful this week for..... a great basketball coach & cool teammates for Harrison. This is the 1st time we have ever dropped him off at practice- normally we stay and watch - but no other parents do that here- he is growing up & this mama needs to embrace it....hard ... to... do!

531: Birds chirping on a 40 degree day.

532: Sleepover with fun christian kids

533:  a special visit with a special older couple

534: Finished my audio book: "Praying Circles Around Your Children" by Mark Batterson. (Thanks Auntie Jack!) Must listen - for every parent. Really really encouraging & motivating.

535: Patriots will play Saturday- with hopes of going to NY for the Super Bowl!!!! Way to go Brady!!!

536: Ministry planned for 4 nights this week

537: Thankful for... Hannah's all girl personality, and her big spins in her adorable fuchsia tutu & matching tights and sparkly Uggs.... she is my dolly & this semi-alone time with her, while big bro is schooling, and little bro is babbling and crawling everywhere, is so super special! Her mind is just so curious & always in motion.

538- Thankful for the many times the Lord provided for the Children of Israel & for His deliverance. Encouraged.

539- Thankful that my mom arrived safely in Mexico

540: And excited- soo excited- that this is the last week of my 2nd to last class!!(I have loved this class and learned loads!) 1 class left and then a 1/2 credit capstone. March 14th - we are AZ bound & seriously are in InLaw withdrawal - so will be a double bonus!! Graduation & family!!


Fave verse to share: Exodus 17: 12
This is about the defeat of Amalek, and Moses' hands were tired, so he sat down and Hur and Aaron held his hands up for him, and Joshua defeated Amalek. I took from this- that we need to be Hur and Aaron sometimes to our friends and family, and need to help them as they press onward for God. We need to bear each others burdens in prayer and in action. XO

520-530 & Photos!

Happy Monday!

520: Thankful on this -13 degree day, for a warm cozy home

521: Thankful for encouraging notes and texts. I love my friends & family. Seriously. LOVE.

522: Thankful for Harrison getting an extra day off today! These schools out here dont play games with crazy temps. No school bc of Wind Chill. If only AZ did that with Heat Advisory??

523: Thankful for creativity in action ( See below :))

Hannah's ProjectHarrison's Lego & Paint project

 

 

524: Thankful for SNOW MUCH FUN :) If it is going to be cold, it better snow.... and yes - snow happened in full force all day yesterday.

  Love our upcycled Xmas tree? The trash men thought it was a real tree. Next week we will lay it down instead :)

525: Staycation! Love visiting new hotels- especially in the city!

 

 

 

 526: Thankful for sticking with healthy eating for almost a week! ( It is HARD during staycations, and NFL games!!)

527: Thankful for my new found app : Mapmyrun

528: Thankful to have applied for my IL teaching license- pray for possible preschool opportunities in the Fall. My heart is totally in it! I have all the supplies! Just need a couple more doors to be opened.

529: Thankful that Harrison has his 1st Basketball practice this week. The location couldnt be better. It's at his school. Perfect day. Perfect times. (We knew none of it when we signed up!)

530: Thankful for God's help to stick with my reading plan. I really want to read the Bible straight through this year. I always have tried and then got side tracked. So far so good & I really am appreciating more stories and links because of the continuity. If you want to have a bible study group- email or text me. I am almost done with Exodus :)

 

*Prayer warriors*
Please pray for my inlaws and my brother in law Mark. They fly tomorrow to MI. Court date for custody of Mark's daughter is on Wednesday. We are praying God's will is done & we would love your prayers for the same. Gracie is a doll. She will be 3 this August. She has had to go through WAY too much for a toddler. We want stability & normalcy for her.  We want what is best for her & I  know that my mother in law has been given help from God to be a Proverbs 31 mom & Memere. She will really impact Gracie's life for God's glory- so we are praying slightly biased.

XO

 

 

 

 

Ringing in the New Year

Happy 2014!
This first blog post of the New Year is a reflection on being a mom- the nitty gritty & the joy that comes with the territory :)

Last night, we were dressed in cute fun outfits, ready to head out the door at 730, to have a fun night filled with Christian fellowship & FOOD :)  (Our last meal filled with carbs, dairy and sugar!!)
We arrive- Matt & Harrison were meeting the littles and I there, as they had been skating all day ...
Literally two minutes upon arrival, Hudson projectile vomits EVERYWHERE. Over and over and over. Okay, so my jacket is soaked- his outfit is soaked, our guests rug and towels are smelly, yet we press on. Change of clothes for little man. Some soap & we are good. For another ten minutes. Then repeat. Then we hang out in the sink for a few. Then I tried one more time - to hang out- be social, as one can be with a 1/2 nakey baby-as he was happy & smiley....(so I figured, and still do think it was just his new food for the day of "mango/pear/spinach" blend) but then 3rd time = strike out. Back in the snow, in the truck, go home.

Once home- remember I am now solo - with a tired princess and a pukey baby, sans my hunny and my Harrison- ideal? Not really...but happy that Hudson could puke away at our house if need be (thankfully that didnt happen- he slept awesome and is A-Ok today :)) Hudson is in bed. Hannah is in bed. I am cleaning and thankful for time to actually clean without distraction (Weird huh!) Then I hear this small voice- "Mooommmm- Can you cuggle me with my pink soft blanket"?  Of course I can. There will be days when I will wish she still had that blanket and still said cuggle instead of snuggle and still wants mom! So- cleaning put to the side. New Years Eve ball drop put to the side ( Oh how I dream to be in Times Square some NYE!!). Precious snuggle moments with Princess Hannah. I hope she reads this someday & realizes all the times we say I love you- we couldn't even capture the love we have for her or the boys.

Then today, its commitment day- 1/1/14- GYM time HARD CORE. Butttttt am I at the gym with our fam? Nope!! Hudson needed an earlier nap, so in bed he went, and this mama is here- enjoying a vacuumed room/clean closet/clean kitchen & snow falling. For a little bit this morning, I had a pity me party. I need to hit the gym hard - we have big fitness goals for 2014 and this is THE year, those goals WILL happen. So it kinda was a NEED not a want today. So I was annoyed. But then that annoyance faded- when I remembered my focus verse "Whatever you do to the least of  these- you do for me" Not like Hudson is the least of these is ANY way- but whatever I do for anyone, basically, is done for the Lord, if done with a PURE, RIGHT, HAPPY heart. So my heart was changed. The Lord knew that I needed quiet time... He knew that I would be home today. He knew my heart would be changed. He knew that it would bring Him honor." 1 Chronicles 16:8 Give thanks unto the Lord"

So moms- for all those times that you self-lessly took back seat to your kids or your hubby or to whomever-for  the countless loads of laundry that you wash-fold-put away - repeat...all the times you swiffer the floor, just to have to it walked on with snowy boots- know that the Lord knew and knows. The joy in the small things is where He wants us. He wants us dependent on Him- not on ourselves. Stay encouraged. He will give you the encouragement needed. This parenting job is the BEST job ever and the HARDEST job.
 Isaiah 50:7 (CEV)

⁷ But the Lord God keeps me
    from being disgraced.
So I refuse to give up,
because I know
    God will never let me down.

 The eternal rewards will be amazing. The children we are blessed with are the Lords, not ours! Stick with it...with a happy heart- bringing Glory to God- even in those pity me moments - that we share :) :)
XOXO