A Life of Gratitude

Jesus came and told his disciples,  “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.   Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,   baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.     Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age" Matthew 28:18-20 The Bible commands that believers in Jesus Christ be baptized. Not as a way into Heaven, but as an expression of our faith. I believe that baptism is one of the most important acts of obedience in the Christian walk. This pubic declaration of faith is a confession of our belief in Jesus and also a picture of that belief. In baptism we are buried with Jesus in death and raised with Jesus in newness of life! Many families baptize their babies. Some of those babies are immersed under water and many have water sprinkled on their heads. While there is no harm in this form of baptism, it is not an exp

We celebrated our big guy's 6th birthday today! I cannot believe this was the sixth birthday party I've planned for Dylan. This year we went to Spare Time in Greensboro. The kids participated in unlimited bowling, Laster tag and played arcade games. They also enjoyed pizza and cake. I think all the kids had a blast! I know Dylan and Evan sure did! In fact, I've never seen Evan have so much fun! He bowled almost the entire time. Dylan was also excited! I don't think he stopped chattering until we got into the car to go home. Bowling!!  Arcade Games! Presents! And Laser Tag.... Watch out!!!! Me and my sweet Dylan! When I asked Dylan what his favorite thing about his party was he said, "Eating cake!" That made me very happy because I made him a super special cake! He requested "The Queen Anne's Revenge," which was Blackbeard the Pirate's ship. He drew a blue print and picked out specific flags and had very high expe

Buying a new home can get expensive especially when buying furniture. In an effort to save a few bucks, I've been endlessly searching on Craigslist for very specific items. Believe it or not, I have had really good luck! In just one week we've purchased the perfect table with 4 chairs to use in our homeschool room and an entry table for the entryway into our new home. The best part, I've only spent $115 on all of that! We're also possibly getting 3 bar stools on Monday for only $50.  This is our new entry table! Definitely worth $25! This will be the perfect table for our homeschool room!!! Can you believe I got this for $85? These are the new barstools (that we'll hopefully be getting) for only $16.60 per stool! Today I am thankful for Craigslist. I know it sounds silly but I love finding good deals on things for my family. I've been able to get very nice furniture for VERY good prices! Now I can use that extra money to buy something else fo

In 46 days we'll be moving into our new house!! I must say, I am over the top excited!!! We've recently made a to-do list that is almost a mile long. We've picked out paint colors and furniture and already been shopping like crazy for the best deals on the things we want for our new home. It seems like we'll never get it all done but I' m not complaining! I've been looking forward to this excitement for years. Today I am thankful that we are finally experiencing the hustle and bustle of getting ready to move into our new home. There have been times over the past couple of years that I thought we would never get to pick out paint colors or furniture. So even though its hectic, I am grateful for every single thing our to-do list!  

Good Friday is the day we celebrate the death of our Lord and Savior. So why do we call it good? What He endured was far from good. Crucifixion was a gruesome, horrible way to die. I can't even imagine the pain and horror my Savior suffered as He was mocked, beaten, and eventually died on the cross for me. Those last two words, for me, are the reason we call it "Good Friday." He was willing to die that brutal death for me and you. Because He was our substitute, sin and death no longer have a hold on us. Now that is GOOD news!! In celebration of Good Friday, we read the story of Jesus' crucifixion during our family devotions. We also made crosses out of nails to help us remember all that Jesus went through for us. He loves us so much! When Bryan was helping Evan make his cross I asked him what he was making and he said, "a cross." So I said, "Who died on the cross for you, Evan?" And he answered, "Jesus!" Even this little 2 year old

 " Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.     So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist,   and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him." John 13:3-5 As part of our family devotions tonight we read about Jesus washing his disciples feet. It's so amazing to think of Jesus being so humble. I mean He is the Son of God. Someone should have been washing His feet! He knew who He was but He still served his disciples by washing the dirt and grim off of their feet. After reading, the boys and I washed each other's feet. Dylan thought it was the best thing ever. Evan was a little nervous so he didn't allow us to wash his feet. They both helped wash mine which they seemed to thoroughly enjoy. There's nothing like personal experience to help us relate to Jesus in this story

In celebration of Easter we dyed eggs this evening. We usually use the little kits that mix with vinegar but since I knew Evan would really want to participate this year, I was excited to find an activity that didn't involve cups of vinegar that might cause an enormous mess. This year we did something totally different! This year we mixed shaving cream and food coloring in a baking dish.   The boys used plastic utensils to mix the colors a little. Next we rolled the eggs around in the shaving cream. Dylan got a little carried away.  Then we scooped them out onto a paper towel. We left the eggs on the towels for 10-15 while we read our family devotions. This gives the food coloring time to soak into the eggshell. Then wipe all the shaving cream off. The eggs turned out pretty good! Very colorful and each one is unique! Today I am thankful for shaving cream and food coloring! It was so much fun to dye Easter eggs this way. Both of the boys really enj

Tonight our little family celebrated Palm Sunday with a special family devotion activity. Every year during the week before Easter, I like to spend our family devotion time focusing on Jesus' life, sacrifice, and resurrection! Tonight's activity involved reading about Jesus riding a donkey on the road to Jerusalem. All of the people were waving and laying palm branches down before Jesus and shouting, "Hosanna! Blessings to the One who comes in the name of the Lord!" And since the people used palm branches, we made palm branch cookies. Dylan and Evan had a great time making the cookies. They especially enjoyed pouring tons of green sprinkles on them! As a family we discussed how this day must have been a sweet day for Jesus but soon, the sweetness would be gone and He would experience a horrible death. Dylan even pointed out that the same people who shouted "Hosanna" would soon be shouting "Crucify Him!" That is such a deep thought fr

This has been quite the week for the Shaw family! On Wednesday my worker's comp case was put to rest, on Friday we placed an offer on the perfect house for our family and today we made an agreement with the sellers. We're officially under contract on our home!!!! Honestly, I cannot even wrap my mind around it. It seems like we've been waiting so long for all of these little steps to happen. This week, in God's perfect timing, so many pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place and we'll be moving into our new house in 53 days! Isn't it gorgeous?? Its perfect for our growing family!  Today I am thankful that we were finally able to choose a house and that we are officially under contract! God's faithfulness has absolutely blown me away this week! He is so good to us! I am also thankful that in less than 2 months, we'll be in our new home preparing for the arrival of Baby Shaw #3! This is such an answer to prayer! This Mommy has been

Today has been full of great moments. I've seen the goodness of the Lord all over this day! After 5 years, I finally have complete closure to my worker's compensation case. My boys and I were able to pick up the settlement check this morning! As I picked up that check I couldn't help but think about all that it represents. I am free! Worker's Compensation no longer has any say so in my life! Plus, although the check doesn't make us rich, it will benefit our family as we purchase a new home! It just felt so good to finally hold that check in my hands! This afternoon also had some sweet moments. I got to hear Baby Shaw #3's heart beat! It is always amazing to hear the heart beat of one of my unborn children! I was also able to schedule the ultrasound that will reveal our baby's gender! We'll be finding out what "little bit" is on May 1st! Dylan requested that we find out on his birthday and that worked out perfectly!! He is incredibly ex

In 2007, before we got pregnant we Dylan, I had a miscarriage. It was so incredibly hard. I remember wondering if I would ever be able to carry a baby full term. During the grieving process I signed up for a Molly Bear. MollyBears.com is a ministry that makes weighted teddy bears and sends them to families that have miscarried or had still born babies. These bears cost absolutely nothing and are meant to comfort the families who have suffered loss. I never received the Molly Bear I signed up for and honestly, I forgot about it but a couple of weeks ago a friend pointed out that my information needed to be updated on the Molly Bear website. I updated the info but since it had been so long, I wasn't sure if I would ever get the bear.  Today my Molly Bear came in the mail.  Its funny how emotions come flooding back even when you totally unexpect it. As soon as I held my Molly Bear, tears came to my eyes. Evan and Dylan wanted to know all about my bear but I just told them s

I spent all morning with a bunch of ladies for a craft day! It was so much fun. There was a whole bunch of talking, a really big mess, and some really awesome wreaths. I had no idea what I was doing but with some help from some very wise friends, my wreath turned out pretty good. I'm actually really happy with it! Now I just need a new front door to hang it on! Today I am thankful for a fun morning learning a new craft! I love making crafty things so I'm super excited to have something new to work on. I am also thankful for a relaxed time with friends. Evan stayed home with Daddy and Dylan played with his buddy all morning so I had uninterrupted conversation with other Mommies for 3 and a half hours! It was glorious! I wouldn't mind being a part of a craft day more often!

Something amazing has begun happening with this pregnancy! I've felt it a little here and there the past couple of weeks but today, I've felt this baby moving a whole lot! It is the sweetest feeling. To know that a little person is really in there, really moving around, is so incredible. Everyone always asks what it feels like when the baby moves but I have a hard time describing it.  Well, today I read the best description! It feels like popcorn popping, without the sound effects, of course. When the baby moves its little arms and legs it feels like kernels of popcorn popping sporadically in my belly. Pop, pop, pop. At almost 16 weeks the baby is about the size of an avocado. The gender can be determined at any time now. (Which we cannot wait to find out!) The baby's ears are working now so he or she can hear my voice. I bet he or she also hears Dylan and Evan when they scream "Hey Baby" into my belly! It's taste buds are also forming and it's growin