A Life of Gratitude

We enjoyed dying Easter Eggs this evening. Normally we just have fun making the eggs different colors and patterns but this time, we dyed them specific colors that are representative of several Bible verses. I found this adorable printable on a blog recently. It tells that the red eggs represent the blood of Christ (1 John 7:1-9). The orange eggs represent fire because our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). The yellow eggs represent the light of God, there is no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5-7).  The green eggs represent eternal life (John 3:16). The blue eggs represent living water. (John 4:4). The purple eggs represent the royalty of the King of Kings (James 1:12).  I've always sort of wondered where the tradition of dying Easter Eggs originated. Why in  the world do we do this? So, I researched it and found out that this tradition started with the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. The egg is representative of rebirth or the new life that can be found in ...

Every year we do special family devotions for the week of Easter to help teach our little ones the importance of this special holiday.  This year, I decided to simplify things and make it something we could do fairly quickly because   I'm really hoping to engage our 3 year old and help him to grasp the real meaning of Easter.  Plus, I found a new way to use those little plastic eggs!  We started tonight. I let Evan find the little plastic egg with the number 1 on it and then Dylan read Matthew 26:26-29. Evan opened the egg and some pieces of bread fell out. We discussed the symbolism of the bread and explained what happened at the Last Supper. Dylan even explained to his little brother why they were celebrating Passover. I absolutely love hearing my boys talk about the Bible! It warms my heart so much!! A new way to use those little plastic eggs! It's so hard to believe this fella is big enough to be reading Scripture for us! Evan loved opening the eg...

Today I had the privilege of sharing a lesson at MOMS (mothers of many seasons). This is a lesson that God has been teaching me for months! I've been jotting notes down and reading scripture and praying and observing for weeks upon weeks. I've honestly wanted to write about the topic numerous times but I decided to wait until after I taught the lesson. I'm not really sure why I was ever chosen to share at MOMS but I am so grateful that I was. It is totally out of my comfort zone to speak in public and I don't feel super confident doing it so, I'm not grateful because I consider it fun or exciting. I'm grateful for the opportunity because it forces me to be in a place of complete dependence on my Father. When I begin studying, praying and writing, I have absolutely no idea what to say. But God always provides the words, thoughts and the examples. He overwhelms me with His provision. He astonishes me with His willingness to teach me first so that I can in turn te...

Today was my dad's birthday. We had been planning to go out to dinner to celebrate but when he ended up in the hospital yesterday, we had a quick change of plans! My boys and I decided to make cupcakes and take dinner to "Popsy!" The boys didn't want him to celebrate his birthday all alone in the hospital and I didn't want him to end up eating hospital food for his birthday dinner.  I'll be honest, I was nervous about taking my three rowdy boys to the hospital while trying to carry in a bunch of food and cupcakes but, these little guys were such big helpers!! They carried things for me, held the door for me, pushed the elevator buttons for me and even walked calmly instead of hopping and skipping and running through the hospital!  My dad was so happy to see us. It broke my heart to see him in the hospital on his birthday but I was so glad that I was able to bring these little bundles of happiness to brighten up his day. The boys were so excited! They...

I know people label the 2nd year of life as the "terrible twos" but I really think that should be the label for the third year. With both Dylan and Evan, our family has experienced the "terrible threes!" Don't get me wrong, I love my three year old more than words can describe. There are just some really rough moments during the third year of life. The past couple of days have contained a lot of those rough moments.  Sometimes, in those hard moments, I just have to cry out to God. I start to wonder if I have the patience or endurance to be the mommy I need to be sometimes. I worry that these rough moments will never end. I wonder if the my children will ever understand how much I love them, even in the difficult moments.  When I pray, God always reminds me that He hears me, He sees me, and He has equipped me to be Mommy that I need to be. He reminds me that He has placed these children in my life and that He will carry all of us through the rough days. ...

Every year on St. Patty's day, we get a visit from a mischievous little Leprechaun! It doesn't matter one bit that we are the only ones in High Point that get a visit like this, my kids love it! It's just something fun for them and honestly, it's fun for us. We love seeing them get so excited over a little green food coloring and some chocolate gold coins! For some reason, this sneaky Leprechaun always has to go potty when he visits. Every March 17th our boys run to the bathroom as soon as they wake up to see if the Leprechaun came. Today, they also noticed the first clue to a treasure hunt that the Leprechaun left behind. They had so much fun going from room to room, looking for clues, and eventually finding the treasure! We couldn't pass up a chance to celebrate St Patty's day with half priced Milkshakes from Sonic! We enjoyed them while playing at the park in the beautiful weather! It was absolutely perfect outside! Tyson had so much fun in his...

Has it really been 6 months since I first laid eyes on this sweet little fella? Could it really be half of year since we got the surprise of our lives?? Didn't we just find out that the little girl we were expecting was really a boy? How can it be? It seems like just yesterday we were checking into the maternity suite at Women's Hospital. I can hardly wrap my mind around it!!  My Tyson is 6 months old today!  These past 6 months have absolutely flown by. Tyson has grown and changed in so many ways! He is in awe of his brothers. His face lights up when he sees them. He absolutely loves the walker! He knows how to get around the entire downstairs of our house. He can back up and turn and maneuver in ways that seem impossible for a baby. He loves our dogs and tries to chase them around in his walker. He likes to have his diaper changed. He enjoys taking baths and splashing in the water. His feet are his favorite toy! He chews on them every chance he gets!  He is...

Several months ago I felt God prompting me to begin a Bible study in my neighborhood. I brushed the feeling off because I don't know many people in our new neighborhood and I am busy with our little ones (ya know, excuses, excuses). The feeling came again and I brushed it away again. After a couple of months I couldn't shake the idea of starting a Bible study. Instead of brushing it away once more, this time I began to pray about it and talk to Bryan about it. The prompting just increased and I knew what I needed to do. So, I contacted one of my neighbors to see what she thought and she said, "I have been thinking about something similar." That got me excited!!! I contacted another neighbor and she thought the idea was a good one too. The three of us got together and started planning! It's amazing what God will do when we just surrender and say, "Ok God, I'll do what You ask, I trust You." Not only did God provide some assistance for me as I...

I've been reading a blog on and off for a while. It's called Mundane Faithfulness. It's written by a mother of four who has been battling cancer for some time. She has fought a really good fight but she isn't going to win it, or at least not the world's definition of "winning." Soon, she will be home with her Savior and I can't think of anything better but, there is still so much sadness. She will be leaving a husband and 4 young children behind. I can't even begin to imagine how hard this time is for them. Actually, I can begin to imagine because through her blog, she has allowed the average person, her readers, in on what life is like with cancer. Before I say another word, click on this link and watch the trailer. I promise, you will be touched just as I have been,   http://www.mundanefaithfulness.com/home/2015/3/6/kara-tippetts-documentary See what I mean?? Even in that short film you can see how honest this family is with what they ar...

Our church hosted "A Call to Purity" Conference this weekend. I could probably write about 15 blogs about all the topics we discussed and all the reasons I'm grateful to be a part of a church family that continuously strives grow as disciples. I really feel refreshed and refocused. One thing from the conference that really stuck with me is the word Fragrance. I think I paid extra attention when the speaker said the word fragrance because its a word that I keep hearing lately. I'm not sure why but for some reason, I hear this word all the time these days.  The speaker read 2 Corinthians 2:14 which says, " But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.  For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." Do you see what that verse says??? Through  us God spreads everywhere the FRAGRANCE of the kno...

"How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!" Psalm 133:1 Last night, during our family devotions, we read a story about a little boy who was an only child and always wanted someone to play with. It gave us the perfect opportunity to remind our boys how lucky they are to have each other. We have explained what a blessing they are to one another before but this time, it was like a little light switched on in Dylan and Evan's minds. They suddenly started hugging each other at the dinner table. They were telling one another how much they love each other and they were excited to go to the movie store together. Even when they went to bed last night they were still being "best buddies."  I thought the brotherly love would fade completely by the time they woke up and it did a little but overall, they have gotten along so well today! Dylan helped his little brother find his favorite movie this morning, without us even asking him...

We got our newest family member a few weeks ago. He was the most terrified little thing at the animal shelter. Seriously, calling him a "scared-y cat" doesn't even do it justice. Max, a 1 year old terrier mix, has really settled in here. He still gets shy with new people around but for the most part, he doesn't seem afraid at all anymore. That is, until he sees one our kids with a sword, bat, play gun, or anything else that they can swing. When he sees these items, he runs in fear. His tail goes between his legs and he shakes. He also flips out when one of them wears a hood or hat. I can carry a sword or wear a hood and he doesn't care but the little guys can't do it without Max becoming horrified.  I honestly think that a child used to hit him with a bat or sword. When he sees our boys wearing a hood, he can't recognize them so he gets very nervous. When they carry their pretend guns, he thinks they are going to hit him with it. Poor fella, he just doe...